What is BRCGS Professional? (And How to Become One)
What is BRCGS?
BRGCS and its Global Standards for Food Safety is the internationally recognised benchmark for food safety, quality and responsibility.
Being BRCGS-certified gives retailers and investors assurance that your company operates to the highest possible standard when it comes to making or preparing food.
Its BRCGS Professional programme aims to help you stay at the forefront of your industry.
But is it worth it?
In this post, we’ll explain what the programme is and how it works to help you make an informed decision.
What is BRCGS Professional?
BRCGS Professional is a learning and development programme for technical and Quality Assurance (QA) managers. Or, anyone who wants to understand and work in one of those roles.
It was designed by BRCGS’ technical team to give you the key skills and knowledge needed to implement and maintain effective product safety management.
And with it, internationally recognised status.
Being a BRCGS Professional tells people you’re trained to the highest standard, and gives them confidence your site works to the highest standard.
What are the Benefits of BRCGS Professional?
The benefits of BRCGS Professional are threefold.
1. Personal development
As an individual, you’re developing product safety management knowledge that makes you better at your job.
You can apply your skills to reduce the risks associated with product safety and become a central part of your company’s brand protection team.
This level of expertise makes you a more valuable employee.
Being able to call yourself a BRCGS Professional is a stamp of approval that’s widely recognised and understood globally.
Your qualification is accepted by major food manufacturers and transferable from company to company.
It also makes you part of an international community of more than 13,000 Professionals in more than 130 countries for networking and sharing knowledge.
But it’s not just status and connections you gain. A change in role and improved skillset can increase your earning potential. According to Indeed (at the time of writing), the average salary for a Technical Manager is £48,214. Glassdoor data shows the average salary for a QA Manager is £63,180.
2. Company Status
BRCGS Professional is a competitive advantage.
As a company, investing in your team’s professional development shows your commitment to product safety.
It tells onlookers that you invest in high standards and continued improvement.
This makes your company more attractive to potential employees and investors.
It also gives customers evidence that product safety is being overseen by technical and product safety managers working to industry best practices.
3. Customer confidence
For customers, BRCGS Professional status is assurance that they’re working with a trusted supplier.
This is a benefit they can pass on to their own customers to grow brand trust and authority.
How to Become a BRCGS Professional:
To enrol in the BRCGS Professional programme, you have to be employed at a BRCGS-certified site. This is any site that’s been audited by BRCGS to verify operations are undertaken in line with BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety version 9. You can find out if your site is certified by entering your company name into the BRCGS Directory. If you’re unsure, get in touch and we’ll help.
This might seem like a big caveat, but being employed at a BRCGS-certified site is an advantage. It means you already have the framework in place to hit the ground running.
It’s easier to implement and maintain BRCGS Professional skills if you’re working from solid foundations.
The programme involves training in three key areas of food product safety:
- BRCGS Standards
- Hazard and Risk Management
- Product Safety Management
To complete your training and get the BRCGS Professional qualification, you need to work your way through the programme as follows:
BRCGS Standards Courses
You must complete and PASS ONE of the following courses:
- Sites training (2 days)
- Lead Auditor course (5 days)
- Auditor training (3 days)
- Conversion courses from the previous Standard (currently version 8)
Hazard and Risk Management Courses
PLUS ONE of the following courses (this does not have to be an approved BRCGS course):
- HACCP course (2 days)
- Hazard Analysis Risk Assessment course (HARA) (2 days)
- HARPC course (2 days)
- FSPCA PCQ/FSMA course (2.5 days)
Product Safety Management Courses
PLUS THREE of the following courses:
- Risk assessment (1 day)
- Root cause analysis (1 day)
- Validation and verification (1 day)
- Internal auditor (2 days)
- Vulnerability Assessment for Food Fraud (1 day)
For example, you might start by completing a Lead Auditor course. Then complete an FSPCA course. And finally, courses in risk assessment, root cause analysis, and Vulnerability Assessment for Food Fraud.
You can tailor the courses to your job role, so long as you complete the required number of courses within each key area.
To pass a course, you need to achieve a mark of 75% or higher. We provide all the training and resources you need to hit and exceed this target.
Taking the BRCGS Professional Courses
Each of the BRCGS Professional courses is classroom-based and has to be completed with the BRCGS Academy or a BRCGS Approved Training Partner (ATP), like totrain (apart from Hazard and Risk Management courses).
When we say “classroom-based,” this doesn’t necessarily mean we expect you to be present behind a desk in a physical classroom. Rather, courses are tutor-led.
If it makes sense to you or your company to enrol in face-to-face training, we can do that. But we also offer virtual training, so you can complete training online.
Either way, you’ll always have a tutor there guiding you through the course.
Depending on which courses you choose, from start to finish, the programme should take around 8-11 days to complete.
So, you can be a fully qualified BRCGS Professional within a couple of weeks.
That said, there’s no set time frame for when you have to complete each course so you’re free to take courses as and when you want.
BRCGS recommends doing so within a 12-month timeframe. We support this. It makes sense as it ensures everything you’ve learned is still front of mind. That way, you can apply your new skills effectively.
When you’ve completed the required courses, you’ll get a certificate and badge to show you’re a BRCGS Professional. We’ll also advise you on any next steps to carry on with your personal development.
What if I’ve already completed some of the courses?
If you’ve passed any of the courses included in the programme, these count towards becoming a BRCGS Professional.
But you will need to show evidence that courses:
- Were delivered by an ATP or the BRCGS Academy
- Were tutor-led
- Required you to pass an assessment or exam
- Met the course duration set out in the BRCGS Professional programme documentation
How to get started
To enrol in the BRCGS Professional programme, get in touch.
We’ll talk through the courses with you and recommend the best path to gaining your qualification.
Or, you can check out and book courses online here.
If you’re reading this because you want to enrol team members in the BRCGS Professional programme, ask us about tolearn.
Want to learn more about food safety?
Check out our range of BRCGS, Food Safety and HACCP courses by clicking the button below.
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