ISTA Workshop on Quality Assurance and ISTA Accreditation - Advanced Level

Aim of the workshop 

This workshop aims at presenting and discussing the principles of quality management and it focuses on the needs of seed testing laboratories that wish to comply with the ISTA Accreditation Standard and maintaining ISTA Accreditation. 

 

Workshop content

The content will include presentations and several practical activities to apply in the seed testing laboratory in order to satisfy the quality requirements specified in the ISTA Rules and ISTA Accreditation Standard, such as staff monitoring and internal audit and sampling aspects, equipment and consumables check. 

The language will be English – no translation

 

Preliminary Programme:

The workshop will be based on lectures, group work and quiz sessions:

System part

Technical part

Requirement of the recent revision of the ISTA Accreditation standard   Document control including practical exercises  Internal audits and practical demonstration  Corrective actions and non-conforming work  Samplers monitoring  Management review  General management requirements

Purchase, reception and storage of consumables including practical demonstration on how some consumables are checked, such as germination paper and tetrazolium solution  Equipment calibration and/or verification, validation before use, and regular check, (balances, germination cabinets) demonstration for germination cabinets , oven for moisture test Sampling, exercise on verification of dividers Storage of samples

Location

Seed Quality Services - Klein Karoo Seed Production

1 Koöperasie Street, Park Avenue, Oudtshoorn, South Africa

 

Workshop Organiser

ISTA Secretariat

Andreea-Nicoleta Pinar Email: andreea.pinar@ista.ch

Local Organiser

Seed Quality Services - Klein Karoo Seed Production

Claudia Falch Email: claudia@kleinkaroo.com

Lecturers

Florina Palada	ISTA Head of Accreditation and Technical Department and System Auditor
Joël Léchappé	ISTA Honorary Life Member and ISTA Technical Auditor
Eddie Goldschagg	ISTA Bulking and Sampling Technical Committee Vice-Chair

 

Participation Fee

ISTA Members	350 EUR
ISTA Non-Members	525 EUR

The participation fee includes all literature and supporting material for the workshop, lunches, coffee breaks and workshop official dinner.
It does not include accommodation or meals other than those specified.

 

The number of participants is a minimum of 20 and restricted to a maximum of 25 participants. 

If you would like to attend the workshop please fill in the registration form. In case you select payment by invoice the invoice will be sent to you, which has to be paid before the participation confirmation will be generated. 
 

Registration and payment deadline is 22 December 2023

Please note:  
For cancellations made before 22 December 2023 registration fees are refundable less the 50 EUR administration fee.   
For cancellations made after 22 December 2023 registration fees are non-refundable. 

Registration deadline to apply for Young@ISTA funding is 10 December 2023

Review the criteria and if you qualify, submit your appplication for funding to attend an ISTA event here.

About Oudtshoorn:

The town of Oudtshoorn is located in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Western Cape is situated in the southern extremity of the African continent. Oudtshoorn is located about midway between Cape Town (West) and Port Elizabeth (East) on the banks of Grobbelaars River. Situated in the Little Karoo (a narrow plain between high mountains) at 1,007 feet (307 metres) above sea level, Oudtshoorn is sheltered by the Swartberg on the north and by the Outeniqua mountains to the south.

Two ostrich-feather booms, during 1865-1870 and 1900-1914, truly established the settlement of the town. With approximately 100,000 inhabitants, it is the largest town in the Little Karoo region. The town's economy is primarily reliant on the ostrich farming and tourism industries. Oudtshoorn is home to the world's largest ostrich population, with a number of specialised ostrich breeding farms.

Climate: 

The climate in Oudtshoorn during January can be summarized as warm and dry. January is in the summer period and is typically the 2nd warmest month of the year. Daytime maximum temperatures average around a comfortable 29°C (85°F), whilst at night 16°C (60°F) is normal. But it is not surprising for temperatures to rise as high as 40°C (104°F) in daytime with no cloud cover at all.

Currency & Exchange: 

South African Rand (symbol ZAR)

Accommodation: 

A range of recommended accommodations will be send to the registered participants. Delegates are requested to arrange accommodation as early as possible, since January is high season for tourism in Oudtshoorn.

Transfers: 

There will be a shuttle from most hotels and Bed and Breakfast accommodations in Oudtshoorn to the workshop venue and back, every day.

Transport:

Johannesburg - OR Tambo International Airport acts as a major intercontinental gateway for the whole of the sub-Saharan region of Africa. From there a flight must be taken to the closest airport to Oudtshoorn, namely George Airport situated approximately 58km from Oudtshoorn. Alternatively, flights can be taken to Cape Town International Airport, from where there are also domestic flights to George Airport.

Travel & Visa information: 

Information on South Africa visa requirements can be found on the South African Embassy homepage in your country.

 

A letter of invitation for obtaining Visa will be issued for the participants only after payment of the participation fee.

For any additional information, please contact: 

Andreea-Nicoleta Pinar
Email: andreea.pinar@ista.ch