Quality assurance and quality control are elements of a quality management system. They consist of an organised effort to keep the quality of a product or a service to a consistently high standard by setting up and operating a series of checking procedures.
As a technician you may be working in either quality control or quality assurance and most positions relating to these specific jobs are in the engineering or manufacturing sectors.
Work in quality assurance is about ensuring that:
- An organisation’s management system requirements have been properly defined
- The workforce is properly trained in these requirements and has the skills needed to ensure the production of a high quality product or service
- Capable processes have been established to deliver the product or service to the customer
- Audits of the system and processes take place to ensure compliance and to look for improvements.
As a quality assurance technician you would be involved in:
- Helping in the development of processes and procedures
- Deciding on the standards to be achieved
- Running checks (auditing) to ensure that work is being performed to those standards
- Identifying problems and making improvements
- Training staff involved in the processes
- Managing budgets.
Governments, including the European Commission, are becoming increasingly involved in setting standards and administering awards for companies and organisations that achieve them.
Work activities
You would first ensure that all products purchased from your suppliers and used by your organisation meet the required standards. These are set by the manufacturing process and involve examination of the critical incoming materials or components on a routine basis and rejection of those that are unsuitable.
You would then concentrate on the finished product and you would make a wide range of controlled tests on materials both during and after production. These could be visual checks or some form of non-destructive testing using computers to interpret the results. It is essential to have in-process checks and these vary depending upon the product being manufactured.
They may include:
- Visual examination, including not only looking with the eye, but with lenses, close circuit TV and fibre optic devices
- Using fluorescent liquids to detect imperfections and flaws
- Using magnets to detect imperfections
- Radiography or X-rays to show internal defects
- High frequency sound to reveal imperfections, in a similar way to sonar devices that are used under the sea
- An electric current passed through materials that causes an eddy current to flow in the materials being tested. A difference in the flow of the current can be used to detect a crack or imperfection.
Quality assurance is the system of activities that provides assurance and objective evidence to management and customers that an adequate level of quality is being achieved. Many aspects of quality management are covered within published standards for quality assurance systems.
The salary
According to the Careers Advice website, trainee technicians earn £12,000-15,000 per year. Experienced technicians earn up to £22,000, while senior technicians earn up to £25,000.
If you are already working as a quality assurance technician, you could be eligible for membership of the CQI and the Chartered Quality Professional qualification.
If you are interested in becoming a quality assurance technician, the CQI offers a Diploma in Quality and Certificate in Quality. If you complete the diploma, you will also be eligible to become a full member of the CQI. The CQI also offers short training courses in a wide variety of topics.