Consultancy Companies, Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) and Training Organisations can be accredited by AWS to deliver AWS-related services. This means the organisation has been assessed as having the relevant processes, expertise and ISO requirements, and their staff have undergone the relevant training and been assessed by AWS to have the required skills and expertise to provide water stewardship services. CABs and Training Organisations must be accredited by AWS to provide auditing or training in the AWS Standard and sites seeking certification must use an AWS Accredited CAB.
AWS is introducing a Professional Credentialing System for individuals who have undergone formal AWS one-day Foundation Training, two-day Advanced Training and/or three-day Specialist Training and passed an examination. These individuals can opt-in to the Professional Credentialing System whereby they adhere to a Code of Conduct and commit to attaining Continual Contribution Units (made up of Water Stewardship advocacy and actions, as well as completion of the required number of online learning units).
The Professional Credentialing system is being introduced to identify those who have undergone official AWS Training and ensure that claims made are transparent. It also ensures that sites wanting to implement the Standard have a clear group of individuals who can support them, with experience in their specific context.
There are three levels of Professional Credential:
Credentialed Foundation level – is an entry-level, non-technical training. Individuals who become credentialed at this level could work in general communications, advocacy, or journalism and site implementers looking to have a base understanding of water stewardship and the AWS Standard.
Credentialed Advanced level – this training level provides more technical detail of water stewardship ethos and the standard; implementation and examples of the Standard’s application in different scenarios. Individuals credentialed at this level could work as part of an implementation team on-site, or for those seeking a deeper understanding of water stewardship application.
Credentialed Specialist level – this is a specialist training level aimed at site implementation team leaders, or those looking to gain multi-site or group certifications or operating in more challenging catchments. It is compulsory for all auditors, trainers and consultants to have undergone this level of training to work for an accredited organisation.
Accredited Organisations and Professionally Credentialed individuals have received the training, testing and have the experience to offer support to sites wanting to implement the AWS Standard. They have access to technical information and papers not generally open to the public domain, as well as knowledge sharing opportunities amongst themselves. For auditing and training, sites must use Accredited CABs and training organisations, otherwise the activity will not be recognised by AWS (please see a list of service providers here). Consultants who offer their services to consult to a site for AWS Standard implementation who have not been Accredited or Professionally Credentialed by AWS may not have the depth of knowledge and experience to offer robust consultancy.
Information on the process to become an AWS Accredited Organisation or Professionally Credentialed Individual can be found here.
All Accredited Organisations pay an annual fee to AWS. In addition, AWS Accredited CABs, Training Organisations and Consultancies pay a levy on all services delivered relating to AWS. More information can be found here. Any fee schedule for Professional Credentialing will be communicated before the end of 2019.
Becoming Professionally Credentialed demonstrates your commitment and expertise in water stewardship and implementation of the AWS Standard. You will have a profile on the AWS website to enable implementers and other stakeholders to contact you easily based on their needs and showing your level of AWS training, region of expertise and topic-specific expertise. The Continual Contribution Units allow Professionally Credentialed Individuals access to the latest thinking and developments in AWS Standard application and scientific and practical approaches to create positive water stewardship impact.