CMC Finland’s training quality management system has received an ISO 9001 certification in March 2020 from DNV GL. The new certification covers quality management related to the conduct and development of civilian crisis management training, as well as support functions. Training is one of CMC Finland’s legally mandated core tasks – aimed at ensuring the availability of skilled Finnish experts to serve in international missions and operations.

The Director of CMC Finland, Kirsi Henriksson, perceives the certification as an important step in CMC’s development.

– In the last 12 years, CMC Finland has become an established actor in civilian crisis management both nationally and internationally. As the operational environment becomes more challenging, CMC Finland needs to keep learning and developing. The ISO 9001 certification is one way to commit to this continued development.

According to Jyrki Ruohomäki, Head of the Research, Development and Situational Awareness Unit, the certification is an example of how CMC Finland fulfils its commitment to training development as part of the civilian CSDP compact.

– The certification and related development work continues CMC’s role as a European pioneer in training development. We hope this process also serves other actors and encourages their contributions.

The new quality management system developed as part of the certification process supports CMC’s training unit by outlining a clear process for the planning and conduct of training. This includes document management and evaluation to track the quality of training provision. The Head of Training unit, Kinga Dévényi, ties the process as follows:

– By having clearly defined criteria for each stage of training, new opportunities are seized for training abroad. The standardised processes remain the same also when training staff rotates.

Development of the quality management system was conducted with the support of the Finnish Defence Forces International Centre (FINCENT), which is also an ISO 9001 certified training organisation. CMC Finland, FINCENT, the Finnish Police University College, and the Border and Coast Guard Academy are partners under the auspices of the Finnish Centre of Expertise in Comprehensive Crisis Management.