Future of ISO Training and Development

Future of ISO Training and Development

Introduction

Founded in 1947, the International Organization for Standardization, or more commonly known as ISO holds the distinction of being the world's finest developer of the international standards. It seeks to ensure effectiveness and efficiency in various industries around the world by providing state of the art specification pertaining to their products, services and even practices. In pursuit of overcoming the difficulties faced by international trade, ISO has come up with over 19,500 international standards which cover a wide array of business and technological aspects (Hoyle, 2012). This is why ISO has particular standards set for everything and anything that impacts our lives in any way possible, be it healthcare, food or computers, ISO has it all covered.

In order to make the most out of this standardization, ISO offers a training and assistance program to its member which ensures that they receive the required level of skills. These services are basically divided into two broad categories, the technical assistance and the training services (Psomas, 2013). The former is designed specifically for the developing country members of ISO, with an aim that they enhance the capacity of bodies which look after national standards. Whereas, the training services are for all the member and they seek to develop the understanding, adoption and the implementation of these international standards.

Discussion

ISO and a large number of its members are largely involved in providing training and consulting services which include a wide array of aspects. Some of these aspects include the seminars which are conducted to teach the application of various standards in fields of quality assurance system (Martinez-Costa, et. al. 2009); it involves educating exporters regarding the various standard requirements in other parts of the world which might be their potential customers; it involves organizing workshops which educate about the consumer involvement is the process of international standardization and lastly it encompasses the recent developments which have taken place in the fields of certifications and testing.

Technical Assistance

Training is an educational process, it teaches people to learn new, and relearn existing knowledge so that effectiveness at work can be improved (Noe & Peackock, 2001). Keeping under consideration the unique needs of the members which belong to developing nations, ISO has a specially designed program which comprises of various measures of providing expert assistance to such country members. This program involves organizing seminars, making various development manuals and so on. Such programs are usually supported by the government's aid agencies and ISO members belonging to the developed and Industrial countries. The entire ideology of the program is to inculcate skills and knowledge amidst the developing country members, so that they speed up on their advancement in pursuit of setting higher national standards.

It focuses on building capacity in standardizing for the developing countries. For these countries, international standards provides an imperative source for availing the technological understanding and initiating the technological knowledge transfer from the developed countries into their own country. As the prime focus of the ...