Workforce Process Quality Certification (WPQC)
Driving workforce excellence across the clinical research industry through workforce process quality certification (WPQC)
Transform Your Workforce with Quality-Built-In Processes through Workforce Quality Accreditation and Elevate Your Organization’s Profile, Visibility and Impact
Enhanced attraction, engagement and retention of staff
Assurance of quality and commitment to a ‘right first time’, ‘quality built in’ approach
Improved confidence for sponsors & CROs
A clear point of differentiation as a ‘certified’ service provider demonstrating workforce excellence
Improved performance, cost reduction and increased efficiency
Strong foundations for scalable growth
Established health and wellbeing processes to safeguard your team
“This Gold award allows us to market for commercial research, as it’s an indicator of our quality. It provides a layer of assurance for the Trust in terms of an external assessment and where we’re at in terms of our clinical research workforce”
Heather Rice
RDaSH
Director of Research & Innovation
“Workforce Quality Accreditation is one of the most rewarding programs I have ever worked on. It is not a check box exercise, it’s part of a continual improvement process—we learned a lot about ourselves: what we do well, what we can improve upon and how to fill gaps. IAOCR will not waiver from their standards—gaining the Clinical Operations Workforce Quality Accreditation really means something!”
Richard Wood
Syneos Health
Senior Director, Global Operations
How and Why the WPQC Quality Standard Was Developed
The workforce process quality certification (WPQC) framework was developed with global clinical research experts to address key workforce challenges, including engagement, retention, competence, performance, and employee wellbeing (the latter being added after the pandemic).
The structure of workforce quality accreditation (WPQC) is designed as a tiered system with Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels, supporting continuous improvement and structured workforce development.
This approach aligns with clinical research workforce quality certification principles and promotes consistent workforce standards across the industry. Organizations achieving WPQ certification demonstrate commitment to excellence in workforce management, enhanced capability, and a culture where people are valued and supported, reinforcing trust among clients, stakeholders, and employees.
Enhance your Reputation and Recognition as a Trusted Service Provider for Clinical Research
The workforce process quality certification (WPQC) is a transformative process positioning your organization as a leading provider and trusted partner of choice for clinical trials. By integrating globally recognized best-practice workforce systems developed with industry leaders, workforce quality accreditation demonstrates commitment to excellence across critical operational areas.
Achieving WPQC reassures clients, employees, and trial participants that your organization has been independently assessed and quality assured against international benchmarks, supporting safe, effective, and efficient clinical trials while improving overall workforce performance and trust across the clinical research sector.
Demonstrate your Commitment to Quality and Continuous Improvement:
The workforce process quality certification (WPQC) provides a system of assessment, gap analysis, improvement support, and certification. This is more than just an assessment; it is a collaborative, supportive, and transformative journey, with post-certification marketing support provided by IAOCR after the award of certification.
WPQC offers an evidence-based framework aligned with workforce quality accreditation to review and improve workforce processes, streamline operations, enhance capacity, and reduce risk. The clinical research workforce quality certification approach identifies areas of high performance while providing a roadmap for continuous improvement, assuring clients and participants of your capability to deliver exceptional clinical studies.
Inspire and Empower Your Teams
For your clinical research staff, achieving workforce process quality certification (WPQC) both acknowledges their hard work and reflects the value they bring to your organization. The review and assessment process is inclusive, aligning with workforce quality accreditation principles, and invites input from team members at every level so they feel genuinely involved and appreciated throughout the journey.
By embedding strong, evidence-based workforce practices through clinical research workforce quality certification, WPQC helps ensure your teams are competent, confident, and consistently supported. The result is an engaged and motivated workforce, supported by WPQ certification standards, that feels valued and is empowered to deliver clinical research to the highest standards.
Certification Journey Highlights
Certification Highlights
Unrivalled understanding of your workforce processes - critical to the effective management of a engaged, competent and high performing workforce
Gap analysis report – identifying areas of excellence and areas for improvement/development
Support to achieve workforce process excellence – provision of comprehensive recommendations and actions following gap analysis
‘Trusted Global Clinical Research Partner’ status – through achievement of the distinctive WPQC Certification Mark
Continual quality improvement – annual recertification process demonstrates commitment to continual quality improvement
Post-certification marketing support – share your success and enhance your international visibility with support from the IAOCR marketing team
Representation on the IAOCR Clinical Research Global Best Practices Board – raise your organizations’s profile and status by working alongside global sponsors, CROs and other certified sites on important industry initiatives.
Learn from our WPQC Clients
Start Your Certification Journey Today
Workforce process quality certification is a supportive, collaborative journey, and we work with our clients every step of the way to ensure achievement of the standard. Contact us to find out more about the certification process, how it works, and how we can work together to help you achieve your organizational development and workforce goals.