Congratulations on achieving certification with us
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You’ve done the hard work... ...now reap all the benefits Your journey with us doesn’t have to stop once your assessment is complete and your certificate has been awarded. In fact we believe it’s just the beginning.
At Alcumus ISOQAR we encourage you to shout about your achievement because ultimately we believe it can add value to your business and enhance your reputation – however like anything in life, the value of any achievement depends on how well you use it.
This booklet provides some useful guidance about how you can get the most out of your certification with Alcumus ISOQAR and how we can help you.
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Why you should feel proud n Alcumus ISOQAR certification provides a recognised benchmark of best practice management
n Demonstrating certification to management system standards can simplify tender processes - indeed it’s often a pre qualification requirement
n Organisations certified by Alcumus ISOQAR are seen as having a competitive edge within many industry sectors
n Meeting and certifying your business against the requirements of internationally recognised standards establishes you as an organisation which is committed to continual improvement
n Achieving certification encourages pride and a sense of achievement internally within an organisation
n Certification by a UKAS accredited body such as Alcumus ISOQAR is a valuable marketing tool to use in prospecting new and existing customers
n Certification can help you demonstrate that you have control measures in place to assist you with regulatory and legislative compliance
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Making the most of your achievement Our customers tell us they get the most out of their certification with Alcumus ISOQAR when they...
n Display their certificate visibly and make use of our
Alcumus ISOQAR stickers
certification mark
community stakeholders and the press
n Celebrate their achievement internally and reward their staff
n Stay in touch with Alcumus ISOQAR to maintain and develop their
management system
Ideas to promote your certification n Display your certificate: choose a prominent location, such as your reception area
or boardroom
n Use our ‘Alcumus ISOQAR registered’ stickers: promote your certification on company
vehicles using our van and car stickers
n Add a page to your website: create a web page promoting your management system and
certification (it’s a good idea to provide a downloadable certificate for customers and suppliers)
n Tell your customers: announce the good news to customers and suppliers with a letter or
e-mail announcement or an article in your company newsletter
n Update your marketing materials: include our Alcumus ISOQAR certification mark on your
printed materials (stationery, business cards, exhibition banners and literature)
n Write a press release: prepare and distribute a press release to relevant media (including
industry magazines, trade organisations, and local newspapers – we can help you with this)
n Make noise online: spread the good news online via social media pages and news feeds
n Celebrate internally: throw a party to reward the achievement of your staff or order some
promotional items such as mugs printed with your corporate logo and registration mark
How Alcumus ISOQAR can help promote your certified organisation n Create a news announcement on the Alcumus ISOQAR website
n Give you access to logos to use on your business stationery and marketing materials
n Provide van and car stickers
n Provide assistance with writing a press release
n Work with you to create a case study about your route to certification (on request)
Just a few pointers... Accreditation, certification or registration?
Many people get confused when it comes to standards’ terminology... put simply, if you have
successfully passed your audits then your organisation is ‘certified’ ie. you have been awarded a
certificate from us. You will also be ‘registered’ with Alcumus ISOQAR as a certified organisation.
Your business itself is not ‘accredited’ though.
Alcumus ISOQAR is accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Services (UKAS). Your
organisation has however been ‘certified by an accredited certification body’ ie. Alcumus ISOQAR
has been deemed competent by UKAS to issue your certification.
Scope of your certification
If you decide to write a press release or announce your achievement in your corporate marketing
materials, make sure you specify the scope of your certification. If not all sites or processes are
covered by your certification, don’t mislead your audience into thinking it applies to all of them.
Alcumus ISOQAR is happy to review any marketing claims for technical accuracy if you
are unsure.
Use of certification & UKAS logos
Once you have gained certification you can download the Alcumus ISOQAR logo and UKAS symbol
free of charge. Please ensure you adhere to our terms of use regarding the certification marks
regarding symbols, logos, certificate number and standards as well as size, colour and
UKAS restrictions.
If you have any questions relating to the use of any logo and/or the UKAS symbol please contact us
on 0161 865 3699.
Maintaining your certification
Alcumus Academy offers a wide range of training courses to equip your business with the skills to
perform management system audits. As well as a portfolio of scheduled public courses, all of our
training can be delivered as in-house solutions. Our Alcumus Academy portfolio covers awareness
and auditing courses for all of the most popular ISO standards as well as health & safety, HR and
employment law. Please check our website for more details www.alcumusgroup.com.
Our courses are delivered to meet individual learning needs; we take the time to ascertain current
levels of knowledge and understanding as well as the integration of thoughts, comments and
experiences brought forward by those attending. Sessions are varied in style and nature to ensure
that each and every delegate can engage and be engaged. Many of our courses are accredited
by some of the UK’s leading bodies, including IRCA, CIEH, IOSH and NEBOSH.
Foundation courses - 1 day course designed to support those implementing management systems.
Available for: ISO 9001 QMS, ISO 14001 EMS, OHSAS 18001 H&S, ISO 50001 EnMS and ISO 27001
ISMS.
Internal auditor courses - 1 or 2 day course designed to follow on from the foundation course,
providing an understanding of the documentation requirements and guidance on performing risk
assessments. Available for: ISO 9001 QMS, ISO 14001 EMS, OHSAS 18001 H&S and ISO 27001 ISMS.
Lead auditor courses - 5 day IRCA course designed to equip delegates with the skills and techniques
of auditing and how to communicate the findings of the audit effectively to the management of the
audited organisation. Available for: ISO 9001 QMS and ISO 27001 ISMS.
Auditor transition courses - 2 or 3 day IRCA course designed for existing consultants to provide full
knowledge of changes to ISO management systems.
Auditor conversion courses - 3 day course designed to equip auditors of other management system
standards with the skills required to audit against additional standards.
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Maintaining your certification
Alcumus Academy offers a wide range of training courses to equip your business with the skills to
perform management system audits. As well as a portfolio of scheduled public courses, all of our
training can be delivered as in-house solutions. Our Alcumus Academy portfolio covers awareness
and auditing courses for all of the most popular ISO standards as well as health & safety, HR and
employment law. Many of our courses are accredited by some of the UK’s leading bodies,
including IRCA, CIEH, IOSH and NEBOSH.
Our Alcumus eLearning portfolio consolidates over 75 RoSPA accredited health & safety, compliance
and soft skills courses into an off the shelf package aimed at SMEs. We also offer a separate
‘Enterprise’ platform for large and geographically spread businesses with additional functionality
including tailored training modules and corporate branding.
Through our ISOQAR Associate Network (IAN) we are able to provide a
comprehensive certification service with auditing and certification expertise
delivered by ourselves and practical guidance offered by consultants. You can find
details on consultants who are members of our network via our online directory.*
A number of our IAN members are part of our Diamond Member
scheme. Diamond status demonstrates that these particular
consultants have a proven track record of working with Alcumus
ISOQAR and are known by us to deliver effective and consistent
implementation of management systems on behalf of Alcumus
ISOQAR clients. A list of our Diamond members can be found on
our website.
*Please note that, in accordance with our regulatory obligations, we are unable to endorse the services of any particular consultant.
Please visit our website www.alcumusgroup.com for information or call 0161 865 3699.
ISOQAR A S S O C I AT E N E T W O R K
DIAMOND MEMBER
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Alcumus audit tool
Alcumus is also proud to offer certification customers a multi-functional audit tool based on our SaaS
audit management software (powered by Alcumus Info Exchange).
The web-based software allows an organisation to design internal audit programmes in accordance
with all management system standards including ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 and
set frequencies to manage audit actions - allocate and classify actions, automate workflows and
receive email notifications. You can also manage related documents with an integrated SharePoint
document library featuring auditable version control as well as store training/competency records.
As a UKAS accredited certification body we can provide you with auditing and
training services to help you gain and maintain certification. However under
UKAS rules our impartiality and independence does not allow us to assist
customers with the actual implementation of management systems. That’s where
our network of consultants proves invaluable.
Through our ISOQAR Associate Network (IAN) we are able to provide a comprehensive certification
service with auditing and certification expertise delivered by ourselves and practical guidance offered
by consultants. You can find details on consultants who are members of our network via our
online directory.
Please visit our website www.alcumusgroup.com for information or call 0161 865 3699.
Please note however that we are unable to endorse the services of any particular consultant.
www.alcumusgroup.com
Manchester M32 0QY Tel 0161 865 3699
info@alcumusgroup.com www.alcumusgroup.com
Manchester M32 0QY Tel 0161 865 3699
info@alcumusgroup.com www.alcumusgroup.com
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