Indicator 17 — Suitable human and technical resources
You must deploy human resources (trainers, supervision, support functions) and technical resources (premises, equipment, digital tools) genuinely suited to each service you offer, and be able to demonstrate their existence and consistency with your commitments.
Applies to: OF · CFA · VAE · CBC
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
- List your services and, for each, the necessary human and technical resources: this resources table becomes the master document for this indicator.
- 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.
- For distance learning, document the platform used, the technical requirements sent to trainees before the session, and the technical assistance procedure during training.
- Describe your human resources in an organisation chart — even a one-person one: training delivery, administration, sales, quality watch.
- 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.
The evidence the auditor expects
- P.1Table mapping each service to the human and technical resources deployed
- P.2Room rental contracts or agreements, booking invoices
- P.3Screenshots and licences of the LMS or virtual classroom platform
- P.4Inventory of teaching equipment (projector, workstations, technical platform)
- P.5Functional organisation chart, even one-person, with the split of roles
- P.6Programmes mentioning the teaching and technical resources
- P.7Technical assistance procedure communicated to remote trainees
Common mistakes in audits
- Announcing resources in programmes (technical platform, LMS) that do not actually exist
- Forgetting to describe technical assistance for distance courses
- Premises unsuited to the nature of the service or the group size
- No proof of the capacity to rent rooms (agreement, invoice)
- Inconsistencies between the website, the programmes and the training agreements
- Neglecting support human resources (administration, disability) in the organisation chart
FAQ — indicator 17
+Do you need your own premises for Qualiopi certification?
No. You may rent rooms on demand, train at your clients' sites or deliver remotely. What matters is proving that the chosen solution suits the service and that you can mobilise it: a rental agreement, invoices or a contractual mention suffice.
+How does a solo independent trainer pass indicator 17?
Describe your resources in a simple table: yourself as trainer, your tools (computer, video-conferencing, LMS), your room solutions. A one-person organisation chart stating your different hats is accepted — and even recommended by auditors.
+What evidence for a 100% distance course?
Present your platform (subscription, screenshots), the technical requirements sent to trainees, the technical assistance procedure and the monitoring arrangements. The auditor will check consistency with your programmes and agreements.
+Can indicator 17 lead to a major non-conformity?
Yes. If the announced resources are absent or plainly unsuited to the services, the auditor issues a major non-conformity, which blocks certification until it is closed.