ISO 14001 Online Training Courses

Yes, the ISO 14001 standard requires that staff involved with the organization's EMS (Environmental Management System) have received some sort of formal training. These requirements are broadly set out in clause 4.4 and include:

• The organization needs to identify training needs and ensure that appropriate training is given to personnel whose work might have a significant environmental impact.
• Personnel must be aware of the need to conform with the organization's environmental policy and procedures, and the requirements of the EMS.
• If applicable, staff should be made aware of contingency planning and specific training should be given to the emergency response team.

ISO 14001 training, then, is a crucial part of the implementation and certification process: records of training for each employee should be kept, along with training frequency and an assessment of the training's effectiveness.

This a question we're asked a lot. For the ISO standards we cover, training is typically available in three formats:

• Online, which is the ISO 14001 training we offer.
• In house, which is where an ISO consultant or qualified instructor teaches course participants at the company's premises.
• Classroom based. This is the traditional method where learners attend classes at a local college or university.

Each format has its pros and cons (in-house tuition can be prohibitively expensive, for example), but online ISO 14001 training wins hands down in terms of flexibility. Its curriculum is generally more up to date than other training formats and, rightly or wrongly, is often perceived as more relevant.

Our ISO 14001 training courses sell well. ISO 14001 is second only to ISO 9001 in terms of global adoption, so there's always a steady stream of learners eager to improve their knowledge and skillsets.

And, as with most other ISO standards, staff training is an essential component of the implementation process and something external auditors will expect to see evidence of during the certification audit.

It's important and something you may be asked to show during the certification audit. Course certificates with the Exemplar Global accreditation mark are especially important due to their global recognition and the credibility they bestow. Three of our ISO 14001 training courses are Exemplar Global certified.

Revisions are usually every 5-10 years. ISO 14001 is sometimes rendered as ISO 14001:2015, meaning its most recent revision was in 2015. We're expecting a comprehensive revision some time over the next 3-4 years.