WINDA 3.2 launches today

GWO training providers, auditors and certification bodies will today be introduced to major update of the WINDA platform, with improved quality control, efficiency, and potential for reduced costs.  

From today, all (re)certification activity of GWO training providers by certification bodies and auditors will be carried out online, via the WINDA platform.

WINDA 3.2 introduces two new user profiles for Certification Bodies and Auditors. The new CB and Auditor profiles join the existing user types (Training Provider, Course Participant and Organisation) and will enable CBs and Auditors to self-service their clients’ training provider certifications, re-certifications, surveillance audits and other crucial governance requirements.

Effectively automating several elements of the Requirements for Certification Bodies into an online system, CBs and auditors will no longer need to process documentation such as audit reports and certificates via email to the GWO secretariat.

In WINDA 3.2, the new CB and Auditor user profiles will provide access to a client management dashboard. The system’s automations, online notifications and easy to use forms will help CBs and auditors through the key quality control steps in a training provider’s new or ongoing certification journey and guide all parties towards full compliance with the Requirements for Certification Bodies and Requirements for Training Providers.

Jakob Lau Holst, CEO of Global Wind Organisation explains: “GWO operates a system of constant improvement to drive-up quality control of its 400+ global training provider network. WINDA 3.2 is the first major update since January 2020, when our fee structure was aligned on a country basis to the United Nations Human Development Index, saving training providers an average of 17%.

“This update is significant because of the fact it connects auditors and certification bodies directly with the training providers they certify. Their role is fundamental to how we achieve a uniform level of quality in the network and with WINDA 3.2 we are introducing new tools so they always have the right information to keep their clients’ certifications up to date.”

REDUCED COST

Training providers operating mobile facilities also stand to benefit from the new WINDA update. Previously, such facilities required a unique WINDA profile  alongside any existing fixed facility a training provider operates. In WINDA 3.2 mobile facilities will no longer be required, saving training providers from having multiple licenses and the associated fees for registration.

ROLL-OUT

At the core of WINDA 3.2 is a core change in the logic between training providers, their auditors and certification bodies. The new system will see CBs’ accounts linked to the relevant training provider, enabling many of the self-service elements described above.

However, although WINDA 3.2 will effectively replace its predecessor on September 6, the impact on users will vary depending on several factors including when a training provider’s most recent certificate was issued. For example, those certified very close to the date of switch – say during August 2021 – may not experience much change until their next surveillance audit which is due one year later.

All users will be required to follow the new quality steps and processes in WINDA 3.2 following launch on 6 September 2021. The new system will be formally recognised in the GWO Requirements for Certification Bodies and Requirements for Training Providers from 1st October 2021.

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