Indicator 17 — Suitable human and technical resources

Indicator 17 opens criterion 4 of the framework. It requires human and technical resources genuinely suited to the services you sell. For a founder, it is a reassuring indicator: it demands no heavy investment, but a demonstrable consistency between what your programmes announce and what you actually deploy on training day.

What the auditor checks on the day

Starting from your programmes, marketing materials and agreements, the auditor verifies that the announced resources exist and work. Concretely, they examine:

• the premises used (own rooms, on-demand rental, delivery at the client’s site) and their fit with the group size;
• the teaching equipment: projector, flipchart, computer workstations, technical platforms for practical training;
• the distance-learning tools: LMS platform, virtual classroom licence, technical requirements communicated, and assistance in case of connection problems;
• the human resources: number of trainers, supervision ratio, support functions (administration, disability officer);
• consistency between your commercial documents, your programmes and what is observable at the audit.

At the initial audit, the auditor reasons on the resources planned for your first sessions. At surveillance or renewal, they verify against real beneficiary files, with the matching invoices and schedules.

Achieving compliance, step by step

1. List your services and, for each, the necessary human and technical resources: this resources table becomes the master document for this indicator.
2. Formalise your premises solutions: a room rental agreement, proof of access to a coworking space, or an explicit mention of in-company delivery at the client’s site.
3. For distance learning, document the platform used, the technical requirements sent to trainees before the session, and the technical assistance procedure during training.
4. Describe your human resources in an organisation chart — even a one-person one: training delivery, administration, sales, quality watch.
5. Carry these resources into your programmes, internal rules and agreements: the auditor systematically cross-references documents.

Field advice

Never overstate your resources in commercial documents. Announcing a “fully equipped technical platform” you cannot show is the shortest road to a major non-conformity. If you rent rooms on demand, keep a template agreement and a few quotes or invoices: that is enough to demonstrate your mobilisation capacity.

Think adequacy, too: the same resource does not suit every service. A standard meeting room is not suited to a manual-handling course, and a one-hour virtual class does not replace a practical workshop. The auditor assesses fit, not luxury.

If you start 100% remote, take particular care with beneficiary technical assistance: it is the point auditors dig into most with digital providers, in line with the requirements applicable to distance learning.

Finally, keep the file alive. Indicator 17 can be prepared in a few days if you start from your programmes, and an up-to-date resources table serves well beyond the audit: tender responses, OPCO exchanges, referencing files. A profitable investment from your organisation’s creation.

Examples of evidence that passes the audit (real cases)

Documents actually shown in audits and deemed convincing for indicator 17:

• The resources table per service: one row per course, human and technical resources in columns. It is the first document the auditor asks for — it structures the whole conversation on this indicator.
• A standard room-rental agreement plus two or three invoices from past bookings: the demonstration that an organisation without premises knows how to mobilise suitable rooms.
• A screenshot of the LMS platform with the active licence (or the subscription invoice): for distance learning, the auditor wants to see the real tool, not an intention.
• The standard technical-prerequisites email sent before every virtual class: minimum configuration, connection test, support link. It is the detail that sets a serious digital provider apart.
• A functional organisation chart, even for a one-person business: delivery, administration, sales, quality — four boxes and one name are enough for an independent trainer, but they prove the functions have been thought through.
• The technical-support procedure for distance learning: who to contact in case of connection problems, within what time, and the fallback (replay, catch-up session).

Resource-mobilisation procedure outline (template)

Your procedure fits on one page, structured as follows:

1. Purpose and scope — services covered, person in charge of logistics.
2. Resource inventory per service — premises, equipment, digital tools, human resources; reference to the resources table.
3. Pre-session check — a D-7 checklist: room booked, equipment tested, platform access sent, headcount confirmed.
4. Distance-learning specifics — technical prerequisites communicated, support during the session, plan B in case of failure (replay, postponement).
5. Maintenance and renewal — periodic checks of equipment and licences, monitoring that resources stay adequate for new services.
6. Traceability — agreements, invoices and checklists archived per session.

The complete version of this procedure, ready to customise field by field, is in sheet 17 of the kit — together with the resources table and the session preparation checklist.