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Scientific & laboratory
Rigour as a competence, not a posture
Courses for technicians, engineers and managers working in laboratories or technical environments: experimental method, metrology, quality assurance and the reporting of results.
Context
A result only exists if it is traceable
In a laboratory, a control department or an applied research team, the quality of a result depends as much on the rigour of the protocol and on documentary traceability as on the technical skill of the operator.
Yet these cross-cutting competences — command of uncertainty, management of the equipment inventory, keeping a laboratory notebook, structuring a test report — are rarely taught in their own right. They are absorbed unevenly by osmosis, and lost when teams turn over.
Our courses treat them as competences in their own right: methods, tools, applied exercises and real cases brought by the participants.
Learning objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Structure an experimental protocol and guarantee its reproducibility
- Identify the sources of uncertainty in a measurement and express a result correctly
- Organise the management and metrological monitoring of an equipment inventory
- Maintain traceable documentation consistent with the requirements of a quality system
- Use the common statistical tools of control and interpret their output
- Write a clear, complete test or study report that a third party can use
- Present a scientific or technical result to a non-specialist audience
- Contribute effectively to an internal or external quality audit
Who it is for
- Laboratory and control technicians and senior technicians
- Engineers and unit managers in scientific or technical environments
- Quality managers, metrology leads and quality system coordinators
- Doctoral and post-doctoral researchers and applied research staff
- Staff of higher education institutions and research bodies
Prerequisites
Professional practice in a laboratory, control function or technical environment is required. The metrology and applied statistics modules assume mathematical knowledge at upper secondary science level or equivalent.
Programme
The modules that make up this field
The modules below combine into short courses of one to three days, or into longer pathways. The final programme is agreed with you at the scoping stage.
Experimental method and reproducibility
Building the protocol, controlling variables, simple design of experiments, and the conditions of repeatability and reproducibility.
Metrology and measurement uncertainty
International metrology vocabulary, sources of uncertainty, evaluation methods, uncertainty budget and expression of the measurement result.
Managing an equipment inventory
Inventory, traceability to standards, calibration and verification, periodicity, control charts, handling of non-conformities and conformity decisions.
Quality assurance in the laboratory
Principles of the applicable standards, documentary organisation, control of records, management of deviations and continuous improvement.
Traceability and the laboratory notebook
Good recording practice, data integrity, version control and retention of records in both paper and digital form.
Applied statistics for control
Describing a dataset, variability, common tests, control charts and reasoned interpretation of results.
Writing a test or study report
Structure, level of detail, presentation of data, formulation of conclusions and the distinction between observation, interpretation and hypothesis.
Scientific communication
Presenting technical work to a non-specialist audience, building an honest graphic and answering questions without over-interpreting.
Preparing for a quality audit
How an audit runs, preparing the evidence, conduct during an audit interview and handling findings.
Leading a technical team
Transmitting know-how, on-the-job training, mentoring new arrivals and preserving collective competence.
Key strengths
Your data, your protocols
Exercises draw on datasets and situations brought by participants, subject to confidentiality.
Auditable competences
The methods taught are those an auditor expects: traceability, justification of choices and control of records.
Collective competence
One module is devoted to internal transmission, so that know-how survives departures and team turnover.
Delivery
How the course runs
Each day alternates short sequences of structured input with periods of practice. The cases worked on are drawn from the real environment of the participants. Materials are issued in digital form and remain available after the course.
- Structured methodological input, illustrated with examples from the field
- Case studies and practical exercises built around your context
- Role play, drills and individual feedback
- Sub-group work and comparison of practice
- A written personal action plan at the end of the pathway
| Indicative duration | From 2 days (14 hours) to 4.5 days (32 hours) depending on the module |
|---|---|
| Delivery modes | Face to face · virtual classroom · blended |
| Formats | Open enrolment · in-company · bespoke |
| Languages | French · English |
| Group size | Small group; maximum headcount stated on the quotation |
| Access lead time | Initial response within 72 working hours; around 4 weeks between approval of the quotation and the start of an in-company course |
| Fee | On quotation — per participant for open enrolment, flat fee per group for in-company |
Assessment and recognition
- Placement
- A placement test is sent before the start of the course.
- Assessment of learning
- Formative assessment during the session (quizzes, practical cases, role play) and summative assessment at the end of the pathway.
- Satisfaction
- Immediate review at the end of the session, then a follow-up review some months later.
- Recognition
- A certificate of completion and an end-of-training attestation stating the objectives and the results of the assessment of learning.
- Accessibility
- The course can be adapted for participants with disabilities. Contact our disability adviser in advance; the access lead time is then reviewed with you.
Frequently asked questions
Are your courses aligned to a particular standard?
The metrology and quality assurance modules follow the principles and vocabulary of the international standards commonly used in laboratories. We adapt the requirements covered to the standard that actually applies in your organisation, identified at the scoping stage.
Can you deliver in our laboratory?
Yes, and it is preferable for the modules on equipment management and documentary traceability. Working on your actual equipment and records makes the course immediately operational.
Is the level of mathematics an obstacle?
The metrology and applied statistics modules assume upper secondary science level. We favour interpretation and practical use of the tools over formal derivation, and the placement test allows us to adjust the depth of treatment.
Interested in this field?
Tell us the number of participants, their level and your scheduling constraints. We will send you a detailed proposal.