Quality Management and Assurance Resources

There are 3 main levels of auditing - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party audits:

• 1st party audits are audits you would perform within your own organisation also called Internal Audits. The Certificate IV in Quality Assurance includes a module for Participating in audits, which means internal audits. So, yes, by successfully completing this course you will be able to perform 1st party or internal audits.
• 2nd Party Audits are audits you would perform within your suppliers. Many organisations will require that supplier auditors have had some extensive experience in auditing, however the internal audit module (participate in a quality audit) should be sufficient. However, if you were planning to secure a position within a procurement department with the responsibility of auditing suppliers for tender purposes, you would be expected to have completed the Lead Auditor modules, which we offer as part of the QA Diploma courses.
• 3rd Party Audits (otherwise called external audits) are typically when a Certification Agency or Body are performing an audit to assess organisation's compliance with a standard or criteria for the purpose of the organisation obtaining a certificate or governing approval for any particular reason. The Lead Audit modules are the first step toward a career in 3rd party auditing, which is covered in the Diploma of Quality Auditing.

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What is ISO 9001?

Governed by the International Standards Organisation, ISO 9001 is the standard that sets out the requirements for a Quality Management System an organisation is required to comply with in order to achieve ISO 9001 (or Quality Management System) Certification.

Why would an organisation want to achieve ISO 9001 Certification?

In many industries today, such as mining, pharmaceutical, health, automotive manufacturing, aerospace and many more, it is a prerequisite for customers or government bodies to do business with the organisation. Maintaining ISO 9001 Certification provides potential customers with the confidence that your organisation manages its systems to minimise or eliminate any problems and the likelihood of the customers experiencing any problems. Many organisations seek and maintain ISO 9001 Certification as it provides a' yard-stick' to ensure their systems are effective and encouraging continual business performance improvement.

If I complete this course will my company be certified to ISO 9001?

No, these QA courses are vocational courses so when completed, students will have the skills and knowledge to implement the quality system within a company that intends to meet the requirements of ISO. Obtaining ISO 9001 Certification for a company requires implementing a quality system that meets the requirements and then the company call upon a Certification Agency or Body to audit their system (3rd party audits). If the company's quality system meets all the requirements then they will award them with ISO 9001 Certification. On average, a company would normally take 12 months to obtain ISO 9001 Certification, depending upon the amount of work involved to implement their quality system.

I have previously completed the Certificate IV in Quality Management & Assurance; can I enrol into the Diploma of Quality Management course?

The current accredited Certificate IV in Quality Management and Assurance course code is 218221 VIC. If this is the code on your Certificate IV in Quality Management and Assurance qualification, the answer is yes, you can directly enrol into the Diploma of Quality Management.

If your Certificate IV has a different code on it, such as 21302 VIC or 2404AEC, you will be required to complete a Bridging Program (consisting of one or two learning units) to convert your Certificate IV to the currently accredited Cert IV 21821VIC qualification, following which you will be able to enrol into the Diploma of Quality Management. The enrolment coordinators will be able to provide further information regarding the QA Bridging Program.