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Industry Accreditation A Must in Today’s Marketplace

Companies, from small businesses to international organisations, are seeking accreditation - the seal of approval, from governing bodies in their industry.

The United Kingdom Register of Quality Assessed Companies currently holds records for more than 100,000 accredited companies. But what kind of benefits does accreditation offer to companies and their clients, and does it give them any advantage over non-accredited competitors? A company may seek accreditation by choice, to reduce the risk of product faults, or it may be mandatory as a result of health and safety regulations.

Aberdeen-based training specialist, Survivex recently secured OPITO approval for its range of survival and MIST training courses and RTITB forklift truck operator accreditation. This shows that the courses they provide meet industry standards and for Survivex managing director, George Green, having industry accreditation is crucial to compete within the training sector, on a domestic and international level.

“Gaining a stamp of approval from an independent authority in your industry or sector can provide you with a competitive advantage over rivals. On an external level, it confirms that your organisation is a credible and certified supplier and demonstrates your commitment to providing a competent, high standard service for clients. We have been working with OPITO on securing accredited status as it is essential that our customers and clients know that the training and services we provide are of a high, industry standard. OPITO’s standards are set by our industry and by being associated with them affirms our support to the training field and the people within it.

“Although customers are free to choose any service provider, accredited or not, most would be unlikely to consider using a company that had not gained the accreditation no matter how good their service is. A good example of this is the OPITO BOSIET (Basic Offshore Safety Induction & Emergency Training) course. It is unlikely that anyone would be permitted to fly offshore from a UK heli-port if they had not completed OPITO approved BOSIET. OPITO standards are recognised within the majority of oil and gas regions throughout the world and again it is unlikely that foreign companies would use our services without the OPITO approval.

“Whilst the process can be complex, without accreditation, you can run the risk of legal action being taken by unsatisfied customers who may have faced a loss, financial or other, due to a supplier’s poor service. In the event of this happening, accreditation can give you a stronger case, providing evidence of your company’s diligence.

George concludes, “There is no way for clients to be completely sure that their suppliers will never let them down, but accreditation can help to reduce any concern. It provides greater transparency in the services offered as accredited organisations have to be seen to be consistently managing and maintaining their services levels, to remain compliant with the accreditation guidelines. Accreditation can also give customers the confidence to approach new, or lesser known organisations for their services or products. For a company like Survivex, which is a new provider, it gives our clients the reassurance that although we may be new to the market, our trainers and facilities meet the highest industry standards.”

Survivex is a brand new offshore training provider. They provide a range of survival, lifting, helideck and industrial skills courses within their state of the art facility in Dyce as well as at company premises and offshore platforms globally. More about Survivex can be found at www.survivex.com. Enquiries and bookings for training requirements and for conference facilities can be made by calling 01224 794800.

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