Over 200 assessors from around the world came together with ANAB staff earlier this month for a dynamic week of training, meetings, and collaboration at this year’s ANAB’s Assessor Development (AD). Attendees covered over 80 topics within ANAB’s portfolio of accreditations, from new and upcoming requirements to best practices and ANAB processes.
Since 2019, ANAB has hosted AD as a week-long training conference for its contract assessors. This year, AD took place in conjunction with ANAB Public Training Week and the ANAB All-Staff Meeting on January 15-17, 2024, at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Aurora, CO.
Assessor Development (AD)
Training at this year’s AD focused on how to collectively build trust within the accreditation community through standards, regulations, and conformity assessment schemes. The assessors heard directly from ANAB regulators, customers, and scheme owners, as well as their colleagues in peer-to-peer workshop discussions.
In a world full of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and computer-run programs, ANAB’s theme for this year’s Assessor Development was “People Make the Difference.” ANAB’s general session highlighted the fact that staff and assessors are the heart of what ANAB does; their work, and the trust that people have in them, is crucial to the accreditation business.
“ANAB is committed to delivering the highest level of accreditation services for our stakeholders in order to bring trust and confidence to the global market,” said ANAB’s executive director R. Douglas Leonard Jr. “While accreditation is a critical element of trust, it is people who continually enhance the credibility of results.”
ANAB Public Training Week
ANAB’s public training week proved to be very successful this year, with clear benefits realized by holding it together with the AD. Participants were able to not only be trained by the best in the conformity assessment community, but also interact with assessors and ANAB staff during the same week. Coursework delivered during the week included:
“ANAB’s commitment to enhancing our customer’s knowledge is one of our treasured values. Learning in this environment, with assessors, accreditation managers, and clients all present, creates an opportunity not easily replicated elsewhere,” said ANAB’s senior manager of training David Feist.
ANAB All-Staff Meeting
The AD theme of “People Make the Difference” extended to the ANAB All-Staff meeting. ANAB staff discussed the focus and the future of ANAB and its people, centered on its mission to sustain and improve the quality of life through trusted conformity assessment results by assessed and accredited conformity assessment organizations with a team of professionals willing to constantly improve.
Further, ANAB reaffirmed its Strategic Direction, with three complementary pillars:
ANAB staff also had the privilege to hear from stakeholders as represented by invited guests: Simon Choi, senior policy advisor, Standards and Conformity Assessment Program at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Marcus Long, chief executive, Independent International Organisation for Assurance (IIOA); and Allyn Shultis, executive director, Global Retailer and Manufacturer Alliance (GRMA), who presented on the importance of conformity assessment and accreditation. Their remarks highlighted why collaboration between stakeholders and ANAB is critical to improving the credibility of conformity assessment.
