Management systems such as ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 do not rely solely on processes, key performance indicators and documentation. It is crucial that the people within the organisation understand what objectives are being pursued and what role they themselves play in achieving them.
After all, environmental and energy targets are achieved in day-to-day work: through the management of resources, energy, materials, equipment, processes and decision-making. To ensure that the requirements of ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 can be effectively implemented, employees need guidance, knowledge and an awareness of their responsibilities.
What do ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 require?
ISO 14001 sets out requirements for an environmental management system. ISO 50001 sets out requirements for an energy management system. Both standards aim to systematically improve environmental and energy performance, respectively, and to implement the relevant requirements within the organisation.
For training purposes, the requirements relating to competence (Clause 7.2) and awareness (Clause 7.3) are particularly relevant.
They require organisations to determine which competences are necessary for relevant activities, to ensure these competences are in place, and to retain appropriate evidence.
In addition, relevant personnel must be aware of their role within the management system. This includes understanding the environmental or energy policy, relevant objectives, their own contribution to the effectiveness of the management system, and the potential consequences of non-compliance. For ISO 50001, the contribution to improving energy-related performance is particularly important, for example in terms of energy efficiency, energy use and energy consumption.
What does this mean for training in practice?
In practice, a structured training programme has proved its worth: general awareness training for all staff, supplemented by role-specific in-depth training for those who have a particular influence on environmental or energy performance.
Auditors check whether the company can demonstrate in a transparent manner:
what skills are required
how awareness has been raised
what evidence is available to support this
Training is therefore an obvious way to communicate requirements clearly whilst ensuring they can be documented.
A basic training course should cover key topics:
the company’s environmental or energy policy
relevant targets
key environmental aspects or energy consumption
requirements at one’s own workplace
Responsibilities
Reporting channels
Opportunities for improvement
Employees do not need to be familiar with every clause of the standard. However, they should understand what the requirements mean for their own work and how they can contribute to improvements.
Depending on the organisation, the training can be adapted or supplemented with content specific to the relevant work area. In an office setting, the focus is often on topics such as resource conservation, energy consumption, digital processes or procurement. In production, equipment, materials, energy use, waste or process flows may be more relevant.
E-learning as a practical component of training and certification
When it comes to management systems, it is not enough simply to provide training. Organisations must also be able to demonstrate, in a transparent manner, how they ensure competence and awareness. Suitable means of doing this include, for example, training plans, certificates of attendance, assessments of learning objectives, onboarding documentation or evidence of refresher training.
E-learning courses can make a practical contribution here: they impart basic knowledge of environmental and energy management in a consistent, flexible and site-wide manner. At the same time, it is possible to document who has completed a training course, what content was covered and whether learning objectives were achieved. This makes it easier to provide the relevant evidence in a structured manner and to present it clearly during an audit.
Another advantage is that digital training courses can be tailored to the organisation’s requirements. This allows company-specific objectives, processes, responsibilities or examples to be integrated. Different target groups can also be addressed specifically – from the office to the production floor.
General basic training does not automatically cover all role- or process-related requirements. For example, if employees influence significant energy consumption, manage environmentally relevant processes, or are responsible for measurement, procurement, maintenance or waste management processes, supplementary job-specific content may be useful. Depending on the topic, this can also be delivered digitally, face-to-face or as a combination of both.
Conclusion: Training makes management systems effective
ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 require organisations to ensure competence and raise awareness. Training courses help to implement these requirements in a practical way: they impart knowledge, make the requirements easy to understand and show employees what role they play in environmental and energy management.
It is crucial that training courses are tailored to the specific role and target audience. In this way, organisations not only strengthen their compliance with the standards but also enhance the effectiveness of their management system in day-to-day operations.