GWO launch Revisions to Training Provider and Certification Body Requirement Documents

On October 1, 2021 GWO’s Requirements for Training Providers and Certification Bodies will be updated to versions 11 and 9 respectively. Both documents are revised to include changes resulting from GWO’s September 2021 update of its WINDA platform.

While the WINDA 3.2 update principally introduces new ways of working, rather than adding additional requirements, the move to self-service WINDA 3.2 interactions in the Certification Body, Auditor, Training Provider system is important.

Over the two years to 6th September 2023 all parties must transition to the new arrangements. Help is on hand through online, ‘how to’ videos, supplemented by GWO’s WINDA helpdesk.

For many auditor and certification bodies the most exciting change is the requirement to create user profiles on the WINDA platform for the first time.

Certification bodies take the lead in the registering process and, in turn, onboard their associated auditors and training providers.

Existing training providers will be invited to connect on WINDA by their associate certification body or auditor. All existing certifications, audits and timelines remain unchanged so alignment is expected to follow audit cycles. For new training providers WINDA registration is now only through an auditor/ certification body.

Jose Jimenez, Head of Risk & Governance at Global Wind Organisation, said: “By bringing the certification ecosystem together in WINDA, tasks and records can be tracked, monitored and verified entirely within the system. Together with new audit auto-prompts and status updating we now have a more user-friendly system fronting GWO’s two requirements documents.”

In addition to WINDA, GWO’s new Taxonomy Framework is an important new appendix to the requirements documents. This framework harmonises training standard learning objectives around a defined series of learning domains and action verbs deliverable at three levels.

The Requirements for Training Providers also includes the ability for operators of mobile training facilities to co-register a mobile training facility with a fixed one (provided they share the same address). One advantage of this is a potential cut in training provider registration fees.

Further changes include training providers having to verify participant attendance on a daily basis with participants now also required to acknowledge individual performance assessments. Greater emphasis is also placed on training providers role in supporting GWO investigations.

GWO will continue to improve and develop the requirements for training providers and certification bodies together with the working groups. The next update is expected in April 2022.

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