The Best Equipment Validation Course to Train Your Team on Equipment Validation/CQV

An engineering consultancy needs training that:

• Prepares engineers to carry out real CQV tasks on client projects.
• Covers commissioning, qualification and equipment validation in a way that matches how projects actually run.
• Includes practice with documents such as URS sections, risk assessments, IQ/OQ/PQ protocols, traceability matrices and summary reports.
• Works alongside billable project work, rather than pulling people off site for long blocks.
• Can be used both for new hires and for engineers who are moving into CQV roles from other disciplines.

You also noted that the GetReskilled course was originally built by engineers and scientists in DPS Group Global in the 2000s to train their own staff on how to populate IQ, OQ and PQ documentation. That is important background for this comparison.

This comparison outlines key aspects of leading Equipment Validation training providers, including:

• GetReskilled – Equipment Validation (IQ OQ PQ) Training Course
• ATU / NIBRT – Certificate in Commissioning, Qualification and Validation for Biologics (Level 9)
• NIBRT – National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training
• SQT Training – Process Validation & Equipment Validation
• UCC – University College Cork, Ireland – Validation Science Level 7
• NSF Learning – Process Validation and Equipment Qualification
• ISPE – Commissioning and Qualification Training Course

to help you choose the course that best fits your learning style, professional needs, and budget.

1. GetReskilled – Best Overall Option for Team Training

This programme is built as a long, structured course rather than a quick seminar.
It is fully online and asynchronous, so people can study in the evenings or in gaps around their normal work.

Why it works well for a working team

• Weekly “release” of material keeps everyone moving at a steady pace instead of cramming everything into a few days.
• Regular tasks, quizzes and assignments force people to work with validation concepts repeatedly, not just read slides once.
• Assignments can include things like drafting URS content, risk assessments, IQ/OQ test steps and summary reports – the exact type of writing your team has to do on real projects.
• Progress tracking means you can see who is up to date, who is stuck and where support is needed.
• Spreading the work over weeks makes it possible to train a team without pulling them off the job for long blocks.
• Because the material is online, staff on different shifts or sites can follow the same course with the same expectations.

Best use: build or strengthen a core group who will actually write and execute CQV and equipment qualification documents. It is the strongest choice when you want people to leave the course able to sit down and draft protocols and reports, not just explain the validation terms.

2. ISPE C&Q Training – Good for Learning Methods and Language

This short course is useful when you want everyone to understand the same modern approach to commissioning and qualification, especially risk-based C&Q.

Where it helps

• Online live delivery means people can attend from different locations if you can align calendars.
• Gives a clear picture of how systems should be classified, how risk assessments drive test depth, and how
  to avoid “test everything” thinking.
• Very helpful for getting engineering, QA, CQV and operations staff to talk about systems and testing in the same way.

Limits for your goal

• Because it is short, there is little time for participants to draft or review real IQ/OQ/PQ documents.
• There is no extended follow-up or spaced practice, so people may remember the ideas but still struggle when
  they sit down to write protocols.

Best use: give a broad group (engineers, QA, project leads) a common understanding of risk-based C&Q. It pairs well with a longer, assignment-based course for the smaller group who will actually write the documentation.

3. NIBRT Two-Day Course – Strong Workshop for a Small Group

This is an intensive, face-to-face CQV course. It is very useful for a few people who need concentrated time with an instructor.

Where it is strong

• Focused on CQV rather than general quality, so examples and exercises are usually close to real equipment work.
• Live interaction makes it easier to discuss site-specific issues and ask detailed questions.

Limits for a full team

• Two complete days out of the plant is hard to arrange for a large group, especially if production is busy.
• People must travel to the course location, so it is not ideal for teams spread across several countries or sites.
• Once the two days are over there is no built-in practice to keep the material fresh.
• Limited learning transfer to the job.
• Limited retention. No spaced learning.

Best use: send a small number of engineers or validation staff who will act as “go-to” people for CQV on site.

4. SQT Three-Day Course – Good Content, Difficult to Scale

The SQT course covers process and equipment validation in reasonable depth and is useful for individuals,
but the format makes it awkward for training a whole team.

Positives

• Three days allows more time to step through the validation lifecycle and typical documentation sets.
• Instructor-led, so practical questions about real equipment can be discussed.

Drawbacks for a working team

• Three full days off the job is simply not realistic for most teams, especially if you need to maintain production cover.
• Like the NIBRT course, there is no extended follow-up or assignment work to turn ideas into habits.

Best use: a small number of engineers who can be spared for several days, rather than broad team training.

5. University-Level Certificates – Suitable for Individuals, Not Teams

The university programmes in your table run over an academic year and include formal assessment.
They are worthwhile for deepening someone’s understanding of pharmaceutical manufacturing and quality,
but they are not practical as a solution for training an entire operations or engineering team.

Issues for team use

• High weekly study load on top of full-time work; not everyone will be willing or able to commit.
• Content is broader than CQV and equipment qualification, so a lot of effort goes into topics that may not help day-to-day work.
• Cost and time commitment make sense for one or two people, not a large group.

Best use: choose a small number of people who will become long-term technical leaders and send them through one of these programmes, separate from any team-wide CQV training.

6. NSF Short Online Course

The NSF self-paced course is only a few hours long. It can give a quick overview of validation thinking, but on its own it cannot train someone to plan or execute equipment qualification.

• Flexible and easy to fit in, but too short to change how people actually work.
• No time for detailed worked examples or proper document drafting.

Best use: optional background material or pre-reading before more serious training.

Overall View

For a team that already has full-time jobs and may be spread across sites:

• GetReskilled is the best single choice when you want people to come out able to draft and review real CQV and equipment-qualification documents.
• ISPE C&Q training is a good add-on when you want a wider group to share the same understanding of modern C&Q practice.
• NIBRT and SQT are strong short courses for a small group, but not practical for everyone.