ContinuitySA's Complete Continuity Training receives local, international recognition

ContinuitySA has announced that its specialised Complete Continuity Business Continuity Management Training Programmes, the only hands-on courses of this nature on the continent, received full ISETT SETA accreditation and 'Content Approval' from the Business Continuity Institute (BCI) based in the United Kingdom.

Louise Theunissen, GM of Consulting Services at ContinuitySA, explains: “We developed two business continuity management courses focused on the requirements of different types of customers.

“The first, the two-day Complete Continuity Programme, is designed to include all aspects of business continuity, providing an overview for those looking for an understanding of the issues involved in business continuity management. The Complete Continuity Practitioner Programme, on the other hand, is a five-day course designed for those requiring a more in-depth, hands-on approach.”

Both courses have now been fully ISETT SETA accredited. The two-day course qualifies for 138 credits at a NQF level 5, while the five-day course qualifies for 149 credits at NQF level 6.

“This accreditation is a major milestone for ContinuitySA, as previously only the five-day programme was accredited at NQF level 3,” adds Theunissen. “This means the courses can now form part of a broader business management curriculum instead of being run as standalone events.”

Furthermore, ContinuitySA has received international recognition for its training programmes by the Business Continuity Institute (BCI). The 'Content Approval' endorsement provides assurance to delegates that the content of both programmes aligned with the Good Practice Guidelines prescribed by the BCI assures clients the highest quality in delivery. In celebration of this achievement, each delegate not affiliated with the BCI will automatically be enrolled as a BCI Affiliate to enjoy the benefits that accompanies this affiliation. This offer will run for a period of 12 months.

In addition, the courses are designed in accordance with the British standard methodology for business continuity management, BS25999. Basing the courses on this standard ensures that attendees are exposed to the latest, certified practices and methodologies in the field. As opposed to traditional training programmes in which facilitators deliver the course, all the trainers are practising business continuity consultants employed by ContinuitySA, holding either an MBCI (Member of the BCI) or FBCI (Fellow of the BCI) status, which is the highest levels of BCI accreditation.

Not only will attendees be led by people with experience in the field they are teaching, the course leaders have all also been accredited as members or fellows at the Business Continuity Institute. In each case, this accreditation is only given to people who have been successfully putting the best practices defined in BS25999 into practice for a certain number of years.

“The last decade has seen a wealth of information on business continuity management becoming available and many standards have been published and accepted,” says Theunissen. “However, standards provide for best practice and serve as benchmarks, providing the criteria upon which measurement is based, but are not designed to provide the practical knowledge and sound understanding of the intricacies in successfully initiating, implementing and maintaining an effective Business Continuity Management programme.

“ContinuitySA has bridged this gap with its locally developed Complete Continuity training programmes. Attendees will be exposed to best practices tempered by practical exercises, delivered by experienced experts, gaining knowledge they can take back and immediately apply in their own business environments.”