ISO 37001 Training and Certification Guide
Your complete guide to ISO 37001: what the standard is, how personnel and business certification differ, the training levels, and the Exemplar Global Certified courses that take you from Foundation to Lead Auditor.
Anti Bribery Management Systems (ABMS)
Anti Bribery Management Systems (ABMS)
Anti Bribery Management Systems (ABMS)
What is ISO 37001?
ISO 37001 is the international standard for Anti Bribery Management Systems (ABMS). It sets out the measures an organisation takes to prevent, detect and respond to bribery, built around a bribery risk assessment that is reasonable and proportionate to the risk it faces.
Based on the harmonised high level structure, ISO 37001 applies to any organisation, of any size or sector, in the public or private domain. Certification is awarded by an accredited certification body after a successful audit of the organisation's anti bribery management system.
Who ISO 37001 training is for
- Compliance and ethics officers
- Risk managers and those responsible for the anti bribery management system
- Internal auditors and anyone preparing for a certification audit
- Consultants advising clients on ISO 37001
- Professionals moving into a Lead Auditor role
The standard in brief
What ISO 37001 covers
ISO 37001 follows the Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle across clauses 4 to 10. Here is what each part covers.
Context of the organisation
Understand your organisation, the interested parties, and the scope of the system, and carry out the bribery risk assessment that drives everything else.
Leadership
Governing body and top management commitment, the anti bribery policy, an anti bribery culture, and an independent anti bribery function.
Planning
Act on the bribery risk assessment, set anti bribery objectives, and plan actions and changes to address the risks and opportunities identified.
Support
Resources, competence, employment due diligence, awareness, anti bribery training, communication, and documented information.
Operation
Due diligence, financial and non financial controls, gifts and hospitality, and raising and investigating concerns about bribery.
Performance evaluation
Monitor, measure, audit internally, review at management level, and the separate review by the anti bribery function.
Improvement
Handle nonconformities, take corrective action, and continually improve the anti bribery management system.
Why it matters
Benefits of ISO 37001
What organisations and professionals gain from working to ISO 37001.
- Demonstrate adequate procedures designed to prevent bribery
- Reduce legal and reputational risk from bribery and corruption
- Meet the expectations of the Australian failure to prevent foreign bribery offence
- Win contracts and tenders that require anti bribery certification
- Build trust with partners, business associates, and regulators
- A culture of integrity and continual improvement
Clearing up a common mix up
Personnel certification vs business certification
People often confuse the two. They are different things, earned by different parties, and only one is a person.
Personnel certification
Certifies the individual.
- Earned by a person, not a company
- Recognised by Exemplar Global
- Proves you can audit to the standard
- The path our courses prepare you for
Business certification
Certifies the organisation.
- Earned by a company, not a person
- Issued by a certification body such as Intertek or SAI Global
- Proves the management system conforms to ISO 37001
- Maintained through surveillance audits
Audit Workshop trains and certifies people. We do not certify organisations, we prepare the people who build and audit them.
Organisations are certified to ISO 37001 by accredited certification bodies such as Intertek, SAI Global, BSI, SGS, and DNV, working under accreditation bodies like JAS-ANZ. Audit Workshop trains the people; the certification body certifies the organisation.
Training levels
From Foundation to Lead Auditor
Three levels that build on each other. Start where your experience sits and climb from there.
Foundation
New to the standard
Understand ISO 37001 and how a compliant management system works. The starting point, no prior experience needed.
Internal Auditor
Audit your own organisation
Plan and conduct internal audits following the ISO 19011 auditing guidelines.
Lead Auditor
Lead certification style audits
Audit programme management, Stage 1 and Stage 2, findings, and the certification recommendation.
The auditor's role
What an auditor is responsible for
Auditing is a profession with its own principles. Our courses teach you to work to all of them, guided by ISO 19011.
Integrity
Audit with professionalism, honesty, and responsibility.
Fair presentation
Report findings truthfully, accurately, and clearly.
Due professional care
Apply diligence and sound judgement in every audit.
Confidentiality
Protect the information you access during an audit.
Independence
Stay impartial and objective, free of conflicts of interest.
Evidence based
Reach conclusions from verifiable audit evidence.
Good to know
Common confusions, cleared up
The questions people most often get wrong before they enrol, answered straight.
Does ISO 37001 guarantee no bribery will occur?
No. The standard requires reasonable and proportionate measures to prevent, detect and respond to bribery. Certification shows a system is in place and working, not that bribery can never happen.
Does my Certificate of Attainment expire?
No. Your certificate does not expire. If you later hold Exemplar Global Personnel Certification, that credential is maintained separately with Exemplar Global.
Is the training accredited?
Audit Workshop is an Exemplar Global Certified Training Provider (RTP No. 310970). The courses are Exemplar Global Certified Training and your certificate carries the Exemplar Global digital badge.
Can I start at Lead Auditor?
Yes, if you are already comfortable with ISO 37001 and anti bribery controls. If the standard is new to you, start at Foundation and build up through Internal Auditor to Lead Auditor.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about ISO 37001 training and certification.
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