Refresh Your FDQ
Auditing Skills!

Course Description

A 1-day course certificated by FDQ.

This refresher training course aims to ensure that you are made aware of the latest developments in food industry auditing. Ideal for internal, supplier and third party auditors.

Video Overview

Play Video: Auditing Refresher Course

Duration

1 day

Who Should Attend?

Anyone who has held an Auditing Skills or Lead Auditor qualification for 3 or more years.

Entry Requirements

The course is ideally suited to those delegates who have completed an auditing course such as the FDQ Auditing Skills or Lead Auditor certificate course 3 years ago or more, and need to refresh their knowledge and skills.

Course Delivery / Format

Classroom

Delivered face to face at our training centre in Skipton, North Yorkshire UK.

Directions to our training centre

Remote

Delivered Live and online so you'll require a computer and Internet connection

Full details and logging in information given before the start of the course

Course Structure & Content

Learning Outcomes

This refresher course will give you an understanding of recent updates to standards and audits relevant to the food industry; the importance of audit planning to maximise the benefits to your company; the importance of audit preparation; how to conduct an effective audit and write a structured audit report; the importance and techniques of audit follow-ups.

Qualification / Assessment

There is a short multiple choice test at the end of the day. Successful candidates will achieve the FDQ Auditing Refresher Certificate.

Course Fee

Course fee includes:

• Course binder and notes
• Lunch and refreshments*
• Exam fee and FDQ certificate

* Classroom courses only

Understanding the FDQ Auditing Refresher course

There are many different reasons why people take refresher courses. Often it is a requirement of the BRCGS or another third party. Sometimes it is a company requirement. Sometimes it is the delegate themselves who either feels their skills are a little rusty, or they need to upskill for career progression. We would recommend that refresher training is undertaken 3 years after studying a course and at regular intervals afterwards.

The benefit of our FDQ Auditing Refresher training is that it covers all aspects of auditing in a single day. There is no need to repeat an Auditing Skills or Lead Auditor course to prove that your skills are up-to-date.

Who is the Auditing Refresher course for and what does it cover?

The BRGS Global Standard for Food Safety Issue 9 requires that there is a programme of at least 4 scheduled internal audits per year carried out by ‘appropriately trained, competent auditors’, as well as the need for regular supplier audits. Clause 7 of the same Standard states that companies ‘shall ensure that all personnel performing work that affects product safety, legality and quality are demonstrably competent to carry out their activity, through training, work experience or qualification’. Clause 7.1.7 refers to the importance of refresher training: ‘The company shall routinely review the competencies of its staff. As appropriate, it shall provide relevant training, this may be in the form of training, refresher training, coaching, mentoring or on-the-job experience’.

Verner Wheelock’s FDQ Auditing Refresher course is ideal for internal, supplier or third-party auditors. Normally they will have taken their Auditing Skills or Lead Auditor examinations and are looking to refresh their skills and knowledge. We would recommend that refresher training is undertaken 3 years after studying a course and at regular intervals afterwards.

Whilst this one-day course includes updates to standards and audits, like any other refresher course its primary function is to revisit the information learned in previous auditing training to ratify existing knowledge.

Whilst this one-day course includes updates to standards and audits, like any other refresher course its primary function is to revisit the information learned in previous auditing training to ratify existing knowledge.

The training covers all aspects relevant to successful, thorough auditing. As mentioned above, it starts with recent updates to standards and audits relevant to the food industry and then continues through the entire audit process: audit planning to maximise the benefits to your company; audit preparation and conducting an effective audit. It then goes on to discuss how to write a well-structured audit report before moving on to audit follow-up techniques.

Discussion is actively encouraged and there are group exercises to undertake at various intervals throughout the day.

Auditing training delivered by qualified auditors

We always want our delegates to get the most out of their training. That’s why we ensure that all our trainers not only have the requisite qualifications and knowledge to provide the training, but they also have several years of experience in the field.

Our auditing courses are delivered by trainers who previously worked in the food industry in Lead Auditor roles and are able to answer any auditing-related questions delegates might have.

Assessment and certification

There is a short examination which takes place at the end of the day. The paper consists of 20 multiple-choice questions which must be completed within 30 minutes. The pass mark is 14/20. Successful candidates will receive the FDQ Auditing Refresher Certificate which is recognised nationally.

When and where does the course take place?

Our scheduled auditing courses can be found our training calendar. They can be attended remotely via Zoom, or in person at our training centre. The training centre is located in Skipton, North Yorkshire and is close to the railway and bus stations. It is also just a 5 minute walk from the town centre. There is also allocated free parking for all Verner Wheelock delegates.

Whichever way you choose to attend, all courses begin promptly at 9.30am and finish around 4.30pm. Lunch and refreshments are provided for face-to-face delegates and all delegates receive a course binder and notes.

Other refresher courses

Verner Wheelock also offers refresher training in HACCP for those who achieved their Level 3 or Level 4 HACCP qualifications 3 or more years ago. Similarly we offer a Food Safety Update course which covers current and topical food safety matters. It is an excellent update course for anyone who wants to keep abreast of food safety management and legislative changes.