People training and competence in a QMS

ISO 9001:2015 clause 7.2 requires determining necessary competence, ensuring it via education, training or experience, and keeping documented information. Simple enough. In audits many companies fail because they confuse "training" with "competence."

The difference between training and competence

Training is an action: a course, a workshop. Competence is an outcome: the person can do the job to acceptable quality. The standard requires competence, not training. An attended course without effectiveness evaluation doesn't conform.

What clause 7.2 explicitly requires

Four requirements:

1. Determine the competence necessary per role that affects the QMS
2. Ensure competence via applicable education, training or experience
3. Take actions when a gap exists and evaluate effectiveness
4. Keep appropriate documented information

Useful competence matrix

A matrix that works in an audit has these columns:

The external auditor can trace each row to real records.

Valid evaluation methods

Not all require formal certification:

• Supervised practical evaluation. Real task observed by a competent supervisor.
• Written test. Useful for verifiable theoretical knowledge.
• Documented experience. Years in the role with positive performance reviews.
• External certification. For roles explicitly requiring it (international auditor, AWS welder, etc.).

Typical SMB combo: supervised practical on hire, written test at one year, refresh every two.

The generic certificate mistake

Labor authorities accept general training certificates, but these don't replace QMS competence evaluation. An operator with a "Safety and Hygiene" certificate isn't automatically competent to run a 500-ton press. The standard requires role-specific evidence.

Annual training plan

We recommend the annual plan include:

• Gap identified in current competence matrix
• Planned action (course, shadowing, rotation)
• Owner
• Target date
• Effectiveness verification method

The management review (9.3) should include plan results: percent completed, open gaps.

What to do this week

Pull your current competence matrix. Check whether each critical role has: specific required competence, evaluation method, latest evidence with date. If 30%+ of roles are missing data, your clause 7.2 lives with major-finding risk. Prioritize it over any other documentation improvement.