THE Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), yesterday, presented certificates to seven of eight participants who successfully completed the Lead Auditors’Course. They were certified, at the ceremony in GNBS Head Office at Sophia, Greater Georgetown Exhibition Site, as capable of conducting internal audit of International Standards Organisation (ISO) management systems 9001 at their respective workplaces. Acting GNBS Director Evadnie Inniss told the media that several employees of local companies were trained and succeeded at the examination to be qualified as lead auditors of ISO 9001 Quality Management System Programme. She said: “I also want the public to know that, at the GNBS, we have a training component which is located in the Conformity Assessment Department and companies desirous of implementing management systems in their operations can approach the Bureau for technical assistance.” Inniss added that GNBS has the capability to bring companies up to the standard of being certified and they can offer those services for a small fee, because, if one has to leave Guyana to do the same certification course, they would have to pay thousands of United States (U.S.) dollars. But GNBS has the expertise and must recognise the support for the competitiveness programme under which 10 persons at the Bureau were trained as lead auditors and passed the examination, as well. “We have the capability and we are hoping that companies come on board to implement quality management systems and, if others are desirous of meeting international requirements for export, it is important that some of these management systems are in place and we want to encourage companies,” Inniss said.
Collaboration The course from which the seven graduated was conducted in collaboration with Delphi Consultants, which operates out of Trinidad and Tobago. GNBS Conformity Department Head Candel Walcott-Bostwick said that the ISO 9001 Lead Auditors Course is a registered one, meaning that the examination is internationally recognised. She noted that it lasts for five days, with intense training skills provided to conduct internal audit of management systems 9001 standard, not financial audit. Walcott-Bostwick said the trained auditors are now competent to conduct audits at their respective places of employment, such as Edward Beharry Group of Companies, Geddes Grant, NAMILCO, MACORP and Ministry of Health Laboratory, to monitor management systems. They can also apply to the International Certified Registrar to have their names placed on list of auditors where they can take the next step to qualify and become registered to work anywhere in the world. She said the course they just finished was necessary to improve and display quality work that speaks to consumer satisfaction with products and services and encourage others to participate in similar training.
