View the Climate Action Reserve’s 2012 Verification Training Schedule

Verification bodies themselves are liable for the quality and scope of work performed under the Reserve. The Reserve recognizes a company or organization as an accredited verification body, rather than an individual verifier. However, the Reserve does require that only qualified individuals with the proper training and skills conduct verifications activities. The Reserve requires that each verification body have a minimum of two Lead Verifiers qualified within its organization. This is to ensure that each verification team for every project includes at least two Lead Verifiers, one to serve as the Lead Verifier and one to serve as the Internal Peer Reviewer.

Qualification as a Lead Verifier begins internally with the verification body’s own training procedures and programs teaching its staff how to conduct basic verifications and the progression to becoming an expert verifier that can lead verification activities. The Reserve also requires (in addition to internal training), that anyone acting as a Lead Verifier or a Senior Internal Reviewer complete project verification training specific to the Reserve’s protocols in order to ensure that those performing verifications under our program have a high level of knowledge and training specific to the projects and sectors they are verifying.

• A Lead Verifier is any verifier from the accredited verification body who directs, supervises and leads verification services and has the authorization from the verification body to sign all written Verification Reports and Statements. A Lead Verifier is someone who has completed the verification body’s own internal training processes and procedures to achieve this designation, and passed a Reserve training course on the appropriate project type to be eligible to conduct lead verification activities for that project type under the Reserve. To be eligible to take the Reserve’s Project Verifier Training, a verifier must already have a basic understanding of how to conduct verifications and have completed either internal training with its verification body and/or taken a recommended external course.
• A Senior Internal Reviewer is any verifier from the accredited verification body selected to perform a final quality assurance review of the data, the Verification Report, the List of Findings and must sign the Verification Statement attesting to the accuracy of reported data. The Senior Internal Reviewer must remain independent of all verification activities and must not participate in site visits as this would compromise their objectivity and independence in the final review. The Senior Internal Reviewer must be an active Lead Verifier and designated on the COI Form as the Senior Internal Reviewer and on the annually submitted Designated Staff Form as a Lead Verifier. They must also have successfully completed sector specific project verifier training.

After successfully completing Reserve training, the final step to demonstrate competency is to pass a Reserve administered exam, which encompasses both multiple choice and short essay questions. To prepare for the test, an individual should study the protocols, the ISO 14064 series and successfully complete practical exercises provided within the Reserve verification training. After passing the project-specific exam, the individual becomes a Reserve-recognized project verifier. Following the training, the Reserve will provide recognized verifiers with a notification and certificate allowing them to act as a Lead Verifier under the Reserve.

The individual’s certification is valid for 3 years, at which point the Lead Verifier must pass the exam again, to ensure they have sufficiently maintained knowledge of the protocols and any related updates made in that time period. They do not have to retake the training course unless otherwise required updates or significant changes to the relevant protocols dictate that this is necessary. The individual verifier is provided with the certification, but it is only applicable when employed or contracted to do work for an accredited verification body.

Individuals that do not pass the exam, choose not to take the exam, or are unable to complete the exam on the date it is given will receive a certificate of training completion, but will not have met the Reserve’s training requirements to become a Lead Verifier. These individuals have one year from the original date of the course to re-take the exam. If more than one year has passed, they must re-take both the training and the exam. There is an administrative fee to retake the exam. For those who do not pass the exam on the first try, it is recommended that they assist on further verifications to gain practical experience before retaking the exam.

Trainings occur on an as-needed basis. Please sign up on the wait list for Project Verifier Training or to re-take the exam, please email reserve@climateactionreserve.org.

Refund Policy: Cancellations to any Climate Action Reserve training must be made in writing to reserve@climateactionreserve.org a minimum of two weeks prior to the training start date. Cancellations will receive a 50% refund of the registration fee. Refunds will be issued within 30 business days after the training concludes. Cancellation requests received after that point will NOT be refunded. The Climate Action Reserve will not make exceptions to this policy. Registrations can, however, be transferred to another colleague. Please submit any change requests in writing to reserve@climateactionreserve.org.