Certified Quality Auditor

Many years ago when I was in QA the company sent me on a day release course (one evening and one afternoon each week to get a City and guilds QA qualification)
It gave me a good grounding and brushed up my stats...exciting it wasn't)
Of course that was in the UK
Del

To be clear: This is AS9100, ISO 9001:2000 Certified Quality Auditor.

some of the certifications you may require minimum hours in QA and this may be harder. Also do not know where you have looked.

As far as which to get first, you do have a dilemma. You do not know where you next project is or with what company or even what they are looking for.

You do have experience on looking, what was the prior companies concerns about?

Other than that, this may be a case of pick one?

p911

I worked in QA as a QAM and ended up having to sign a non-competing agreement many years ago because the company paying for the certifications didnt want to give me certifications that I could after getting them 9001 certified, to benefit myself in a personal gain to use elsewhere at the expense of the company paying for the certifications. It was written as such that if I was to jump ship and work elsewhere during or after the certifcations and before 36 months had passed, I legally would have had to pay the company back every penny of the training and certifications thousands of dollars!!! The only loop hole in not having to pay back before the 36 months was if I was laid off by the company. And I actually got laid off 19 months after and was free of this legal agreement and able to use my certifications elsewhere. Dont be surprised if they want you to sign into an agreement to keep you around for a while after you get them all situated and after they pay for the training and certification(s).

I am surprised that they withheld them, normally, the types of contract if the employer pays for any kind of certification or education you had to remain with the company for a given amount time such as 2 years (depends on the costs) or reimburse the company's expenses.

I had my installation crew, I put them through an OSHA course for Working in Confined Spaces, I paid for their time and of course the training, (I even offered and brought back a fellow that had a temporary layoff from me.) They all received their certificates with their name on it, but it also had my company's name on the certificate.

Other than that, no strings.

p911

Not sure what you are saying? 1st of all I have been in the aerospace business for over 27 years,,,,,and in every position I held it required quality and Inspection,,,only the last 10 to 12 years in a management position,,,so as for the minimum hours,,,,I am sure my 27 years will be good enough.

as to where my next Job is and what their Project is,,,is irrevelant.

I am quality manager, dealing with AS9100 & ISO 9001:2000.

so all the certs i am considering and concerned with have to do with those 2 standards,,,,,,,

Then, with your experience to start with, it may not be so much getting certified, but maybe belonging to the ISO groups as a member, do not know what is available for ISO, I am going from what I did for ASME.

I became a ASME member, where dues were about $125.00 annually and with this membership I order some discounted publications also what I felt would be important.

I did this, because I had to start somewhere, I was setting up a company to be ASME certified, and I thought it would help. I felt as you do, I needed background reinforcement, but unlike you, I was green I had next to nothing as for experience in ASME.

The actually value of this, I felt there was none, the information from the publication was quite advanced. I saw nothing practical. BUT, I was a member.

You may have to do something similar is all I'm saying. It may not so much as getting certified in, but it may give you connections to point you in the right direction.

p911

Thanks, this was kinda of the way I am going, The governing body is ASQ and they do have a membership, and publications,,,the one they say is the book that everything is based on is called the "Book of Knowledge" (BoK).

Thanks

There are two ways.

1. Get an ASQ certificate. This certificate, as I remember requires renewal every few year (I don't remember number - may be as less as one). The auto-renewal is based on points earned (eg each webiner/course of ASQ= x points, each training classes conducted by you : y point and so on. If you are a member of ASQ you can check up. This is the reason I didn't bother about it. Who in the world at this ripe age will keep on writing exam every year.

The problem is that there is quite a bit of statistics thrown around. If you are comfortable with all this, it is good, else it will be really difficult, BOK by itself is not likely to help much (though I have not seen it). For you it will be CQA (CQE I don't think is your field). Go to site www.asq.org, there you may try to go through the online sample paper. I dn't think registration/membership is necessary for it. But being a member of ASQ in our field helps. And you get a free magazine qualityprogress. It has quite a few good articles on audit in past (currently it is busy with Toyota )

2. There are several universities that are offering post graduate programs in quality management. This atleast once passed will not need annual/periodic renewal. Also it may create your foundation in statistics (if not existing) for the ASQ-CQA.

There is a good book I think in NIST - handbook section on quality. also check the "quality toolbox" (google this name I don't remember the site. It has extensive information on stat and probability distributions, that will help in the exams.

And in the end you always have Juran/Grant and a few other bibles (though they are not strong in stat portion)

This too is one of the Avenues I was looking at, getting an ASQ membership regardless of where I go for training and Certification, as in a comment to another post: I have also been looking at BSI which has training and certification.

For me this is a stepping stone to get ready for a six sigma Green and Black belt certification.

Having this knowledge increases ones pay alot.

Thanks, great comment

If you join ASQ, their various chapters, you may have in your localities too so you don't have to travel much- do conduct the training programs for the certification.

As mentioned I didn't bother much, since the age and the position doesn't matter much for me (been out of Q and in manufacturing now anyway)

Also you may note that ASQ conducts the certifications for the SSBB also and most likely (got to log in and check SSGB too).

Checked up the web site , and also one on Master Black Belt.

The ASQ itself provides training for the exam (listed on the web page as you select the Exam mame (CQA) and click on the "Preparing for Exam"

There the suggested books as well as the training modules (Web, CDROM, Class Room...) conducted by ASQ is listed.

BOK: is body of knowledge and is only the syllabi- not a text book.

_{BTW: Costs look prohibitive for few of the modules. However if you become member, the local chapters conduct classes and they are usually much cheaper.}

I am currently in school for operations. My instructor said to look into ASQ certs. They are not all equal. Right now I am studying for my Certified Quality Inspector cert. It or the Certified Quality Improvement Associate are good places to start. The Certified Quality Engineer is at the top of the dog pile. That test is 6 hours long. Before you spend money on a membership, I would order and study the Body of Knowledge from the Quality Council of Indiana. Only get a membership when you are ready to take the test, that cuts down on costs. So far the B.O.K. has been fairly easy to understand and it is a good stepping stone toward my CQE, Green Belt and Black Belt. Wish me luck on the exam in October. Take care.

Let me be clear, as to noone has answered my question.

I have looked into it and there are a few certifications to get and yes they are a few thousand dollars, some in other states, so hotel travel etc..... But i will be paying for it out of my pocket.

With that being said back to the question:

What certification should i start with?

sorry about getting off on a tangent, but as I stated, but there was direction given in post #3.

As far as which to get first, you do have a dilemma. You do not know where you next project is or with what company or even what they are looking for.

You do have experience on looking, what was the prior companies concerns about?

Other than that, this may be a case of pick one?

I do not know how to make this understandable, I'll try it again,

Did any of your past employers question your credentials?

Did they have any areas of concerns?

Take an assessment of your self. What are your needs?, what are your weakness? what are your strengths? what areas do you need improvement or reinforcement?

And most important, What would be the strongest payback?

You are the only one that can answer this, we are strangers, Even the ones in the field of QA we can not answer or predict the needs for any given region in the field of QA or any other profession.

In other words, We can not answer that for you, only you can do that. You are more familiar with your situation than any stranger.

p911

BSI International Training Institute conducts training and certifications of Lead Assessor. First get the course and training by their experts. Obtain Certificate as Lead Assessor from them and you would be able to certify your organization as ISO 9000 - 2000 Certified Company.

Thanks, This is one of the places I have been considering. The next date for Lead Assessor is in June, in Texas.

But I am also looking into membership into ASQ, and their Cert programs.

If you are in the USA, check with the American Society of Quality Control. They have several seminars that cover this subject; and, there are several locations in the US where these seminars are held during the year. Another source of information is checking with recruiters. They will have a line on what their clients require for certification regarding quality control/assurance. I suspect that in the aerospace industry there is a unique certification that is specified in the MIL Specs, or by such companies as Pratt & Whitney, GE, Boeing, etc. A short romp through the internet revealed that there are several industries that require certified auditors. It also revealed that there are several schools that provide classes and certification services. Good luck in your endeavor from a former Nuclear Quality (construction phase) Program Auditor.

I have also been employed in quality related functions for 30 or more years, including involvement in 10CFR50 Appendix B nuclear programs, ISO 9001:1994 / ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001 development and auditing, etc. I know that a degree in engineering (civil or mechanical) would have given me more credibility, but experience and results have kept me employed both as a direct employee and as a consultant all of my working career. Memberships in various organizations may help build credibility, especially if you intend to write articles or teach, but showing a sound experience level and recomendations from previous employers should get you the next job. I am currently the Division Quality Manager for a concrete prestress/precast producer and have held this position for about four years. The managers under me are all certified to PCI, ACI and NPCA, but my previous experience in the oil and gas industry has allowed me to develop and maintain a good quality system that also follows general guidelines of ISO 9001:2008 - although the company is not "certified" to ISO 9001. The company is certified to PCI, NPCA, UL, ODOT, INDOT, WVDOT and City of Columbus. My recommendation to you is to look for some relative memberships in quality related organizations, and rely heavily on your past experiences.

I have had similar experience level and requirements. I would suggest that you take a Certified Auditors Course and get registered. I used Perry Johnson Inc. as a certifying agent with excellent result.