SA8000 Introduction & Basic Auditor Training
This course provides an overall introduction to social auditing and specifically auditing in accordance with the SA8000:2014 Standard. The five-day course is a requirement for all SA8000 Team Auditors and has been attended by thousands of professionals around the world.
Target Participants
This course is designed for participants hoping to become SA8000 Team Auditors as well as other stakeholders, who wish to conduct social compliance audits, advance labor rights, or apply a management system approach in their supply chain.
Curriculum
SA8000® Standard
- SA8000 Standard and its nine elements
- Effective auditing techniques related to each social compliance element under SA8000
- A review of SA8000 documents and tools, including an introduction to Social Fingerprint®
- Introduction to management systems
- Methods and techniques for conducting and generating findings from an SA8000 audit
Social auditing and compliance
- Introduction to core concepts of social compliance in the supply chain
- Practical knowledge of social auditing and social performance
- Common challenges and solutions in social compliance
- Methods and techniques for gathering, evaluating and triangulating satisfactory objective evidence to determine the conformance of a system
- Generating accurate, appropriate, and comprehensive audit findings and conclusions
The training course involves in-depth case studies, virtual factory tours and highly interactive group exercises that allow for hands-on learning and practical application of methods and tools. The course concludes with a comprehensive exam, and students who successfully pass are awarded the SA8000 Basic Auditor Training Course Completion Certificate.
Course Prerequisite
There is no formal prerequisite for this course at this time. However, SAI recommends that students attending the course should understand the fundamental auditing principles and protocols at a basic level. It is recommended that all participants familiarize themselves with ISO/IEC 19011 prior to attending the course.
Special Rates
Trade Unions, NGOs, SAI Corporate Members, employees of SA8000-certified organizations, and groups may be eligible for special rates for this course. See details here.
External Course Providers
In addition to SAI, several approved external course providers also offer this training.
Sign Up for Training Announcements
Register for our email list to receive announcements about new training opportunities in your region
COVID-19 Information
To keep our trainers, participants, and others safe, we will follow local COVID-19 precautions from the WHO and local health authorities. We ask participants to please comply with the relevant precautions as well.
Note
In 2023, SAI is undertaking a revision of our SA8000 Standard for Decent Work. Any changes to the Standard will be implemented in 2024 and beyond, including updates to SA8000 training. As with previous revisions, SA8000 auditors will need to take a short revision training to maintain their training credential. This revision training will also be available to anyone who has taken an SA8000 Basic or Advanced training.
Because we cannot yet predict when the SA8000 Basic Training will be revised and revision training made available, we encourage anyone considering SA8000 training to proceed with the current version. Participants who complete the SA8000 Basic Training in 2023 or later will be able to take the revision training for free when it becomes available.
Upcoming Trainings
SA8000 Basic Training (Delhi, India)
Dec 11-15 | English | $1050 (USD) | Classroom course
SA8000 Basic Training (HCMC, Vietnam)
Dec 11-15 | English | $1200 (USD) | Classroom course
SA8000 Basic Training (Dhaka, Bangladesh)
Jan 21-25 | English | $925 (USD) | Classroom course
SA8000 Basic Training (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
Jan 29-Feb 2 | English | $1400 (USD) | Classroom course
SA8000 Basic Training (Hamburg, Germany)
Feb 5-9 | English | $2100 (USD) | Classroom course
SA8000 Basic Training (Shanghai, China)
Feb 19-23 | Chinese| $1600 (USD) | Classroom course
SA8000 Basic Training (Shenzhen, China)
March 25-29 | Chinese| $1600 (USD) | Classroom course
SA8000 Basic Training (Cremona, Italy)
March 25-29 | Italian| $1600 (USD) | Classroom course
Feedback for SA8000 Basic
Professionals across industries, roles, and around the world have benefited from this training.
“In my opinion, the best basic course for social compliance.”
Gustavo Meyer Suarez
IIC-Intersport International
Manager, Sustainability and Compliance
“One of the best social compliance auditor courses around.”
Cesar Pacheco
Bureau Veritas
Auditor
“I would strongly recommend this course to anyone whose work is related to the social auditing field, is passionate about their work, and wants to excel and have better understanding of social accountability.”
Ata Rehman
USB
“It is as important to understand how a standard is audited as it is to understand what the standard actually says. There are always many gray areas. Learning the strategies SA8000-trained auditors use to handle these many gray areas was very insightful.”
Trini Gardner
Fair Trade USA
Standards Manager
“I have more than 9 years of experience in auditing. The SA8000 Basic Auditor course enhanced my ability and confidence to conduct social audits.”
Ejaz Uddin
Synergies Sourcing Pakistan (Pvt.) Ltd.
CSR & Compliance Officer
“I will definitely suggest this course to my colleagues. This course gives knowledge and power to those who choose social compliance as their profession.”
Sebastian George
Asia Excel Trading Ltd.
HR & Social Compliance Manager
“After 17 years of auditing, this course has been a very enriching personal and professional experience.”
José Manuel López Carretero
Auditor
