CRL-TU( CTU) of IPPT-USM Offers Competency Training Approved under the Malaysia HRD Corp: ISO/IEC 17025 Laboratory Internal Audit Course

In synergizing the aspiration USM in realization of the United Nations SDG 8 & SDG 9 towards economic growth of innovative products, the Centralized Research Laboratory Testing Unit (CRL-TU) of the IPPT-USM has recently engaged with the industry by co-organizing a two-day intensive course on the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Laboratory Internal Audit on the 24th - 25th July 2023 under the Malaysia national Human Resource Development Corporation (HRDC) training programme. It was made possible with the guidance of the USAINS Holdings Sdn. Bhd. a company wholly owned by USM, which is a HRDC approved training provider. It is a first experience and privilege for CRL-TU to organize such a course that involves a well-known ISO standard for laboratory accreditation and adhering to the high quality of training delivery set by the Malaysian HRDC.

The ISO/IEC 17025:2017 international standard plays a crucial role in laboratory accreditation, ensuring that laboratories uphold rigorous quality management practices to deliver accurate and reliable test results. The internal audit course organized by the CRL-TU is aimed to equip participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to conduct effective internal audits in compliance with the international standard. Dr. Jahangir bin Kamaldin, a renowned expert in the laboratory management system (ISO/IEC 17025 & OECD-GLP) has been specially invited as the coach for the course. He guided the participants through a comprehensive course content that covered key aspects of ISO/IEC 17025:2017 internal audit as the laboratory management strategy and tactical tool of the laboratory PDCA in assuring success in achieving its annual goals. The participants are given hands-on experience in preparing the systematic documentation of the internal audit to satisfy the standard’s high expectation for accurate recording of the criteria, evidence and findings of the internal audit. Example of the timely internal audit preparation and reporting has also been demonstrated to the participants.

The encouragement given by the Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hasni Arsad, the IPPT-USM Deputy Director (research & networking), who heads the unit has been instrumental to this initiative of offering industries relevant courses. The satisfying facial expression of the participants and their positive feedbacks have given the CRL-TU the excitement to offer more courses in near future via the HRDC national training program. For inquiries on the upcoming courses or need for special hands-on courses related to the chemical, microbiological and nucleic acid testings, or those related to the genomics, proteomics and metabolomics testings, feel free to contact the CRL-TU laboratory management team [Ms. Rafedah Abas (rafedah@usm.my) & Ms. Syazwani Ismail (syazwani.ismail@usm.my)] and their specialist chemists [ChM Dr. Noorfatimah Yahaya (noorfatimah@usm.my) & ChM Dr. Nur Nadhirah Mohamad Zain (nurnadhirah@usm.my)] to better understand your industries training needs.