This recognition allows quality to be guaranteed according to national regulations and is additionally a requirement to be a provider of the National Training and Employment Service (SENCE).

The Training Office, dependent on the Directorate of Liaison with the Environment and Extension, DIVEULS, obtained its first quality certification in 2006, and from then until today it has maintained and recertified its quality management system as appropriate in annual periods. . However, the most relevant thing is that, on this occasion, it is the second consecutive year in which the external audit does not show “non-conformities”, which is a very positive result, since only opportunities for improvement have been received.

The Chilean Standard 2728:2015 establishes the minimum requirements that OTECs must have to implement a Quality Management System aimed at satisfying the needs of their clients. Through an audit, carried out by external auditors belonging to a certifying entity, it is verified that the OTEC meets the requirements and receives the formal recognition that an external entity makes of this Quality Management System.

For the person in charge of the Training Office of the University of La Serena, Pablo Sánchez, this instance “means, first of all, the opportunity to offer our students the peace of mind of being in front of an OTEC that is constantly improving and has its ordered internal processes, which undoubtedly gives us seriousness and transparency in order to offer a better service to our students.”

On the other hand, regarding the certification provided by this external company, he added that “the fact of not having any non-conformities in the last two years is something unprecedented for many companies; which strengthens us as a team and validates our work.”

Finally, the Director of Liaison with the Environment and Extension, Dr. Catalina Cvitanic, highlighted the work of the team and what this certification means, since it shows that the quality system works optimally. "Not only have we achieved maintenance of the certification, but we have passed it with excellence, which confirms that guided team work with clear processes that aim at constant and continuous improvement is synonymous with quality." Likewise, she highlighted that "the new variable that is being incorporated into the next accreditation processes in universities is quality, therefore, our OTEC can be a reference for other ULS units."

This recognition allows the Office to guarantee the quality of its processes according to Chilean regulations and to be a SENCE supplier, which means that companies can access codified courses through a tax exemption.

Source: DIVEULS press