Keep Employee Training Records Current with This 7-Step Guide
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Chapter 1: The Importance of Training Records
Training records for employees often go unnoticed until they are urgently needed—this can lead to unnecessary blame if they are not accurate.
This guide is part of the "Three Minute Train the Trainer" series, designed for Learning & Development professionals, trainers, HR teams, and organizational leaders. With years of experience in L&D, I've learned that maintaining accurate, up-to-date, and accessible training records is crucial. This is primarily due to compliance requirements and the frequent requests for these records, often on short notice.
If you are tasked with overseeing the training records for your team or the entire organization, it's vital to ensure they are in impeccable condition. A lack of attention to detail in this area can reflect poorly on you.
Everyone tends to overlook training records until an audit arises, at which point interest spikes significantly. If you’re curious about how to keep these records in order, let’s first clarify the concept of compliance and who may request these records.
Section 1.1: Understanding Compliance
Compliance entails that employees must receive training in accordance with:
- Legal regulations
- Industry standards
- Organizational policies
- Client specifications
For example, First Aiders are required to possess a valid First Aid Certificate, renewed biennially. In certain positions, having current First Aid certification is a prerequisite for employment.
In New Zealand, new employees undergo a Health and Safety tour to familiarize them with the fire exits, fire extinguishers, first aid kit, and restroom locations. This experience is etched in my memory after I spent several days guiding employees through a safety tour following an office relocation.
Your industry might also be governed by organizations that issue licenses and enforce training standards. Employee training records serve to demonstrate that your organization has fulfilled these training obligations, which underscores their significance.
Section 1.2: Requests for Training Records
A variety of stakeholders—leaders, board members, clients, auditors, and regulatory entities—may seek your training records. While audits may come with advance notice, a CEO could request the latest training records with little warning.
It is essential to be prepared to deliver these records promptly to demonstrate your competency in this area.
Here are seven strategies to ensure your employee training records are flawless:
- Verify that Training Records Are Current
Keeping training records updated can be challenging, especially in larger organizations. Start by identifying who conducts training within your organization, which could include:
Learning & Development or Training Teams
- Human Resources
- Finance
- Operations
- Customer Service
- Technical Trainers
- Subject Matter Experts
- External providers
You might need to do some digging to uncover all trainers, as I’ve encountered situations where managers were unaware of training activities conducted by their teams.
Action Point: Investigate the training provided for each role during induction and by each department. Look through past records, and gather informal insights about training sessions.
- Establish a Single Source for Training Records
Similar to the "Highlander" principle, there should only be one main repository for training records—either a Learning Management System (LMS) or a unified spreadsheet/database.
After identifying all training stakeholders, encourage them to transition from personal databases to your central system.
Action Point: Regularly communicate the importance of a single source for training records to managers and trainers.
- Document Course Mergers and Splits Over Time
In New Zealand, training records must be maintained for seven years, but employees often expect a comprehensive training history.
As training programs evolve, courses may combine or separate. For instance, an Induction course that previously included several components might later be split into distinct courses.
Action Point: Review your records for inconsistencies and create a document to outline these changes.
- Track Changes in Course Names and Content
Training courses are not static; they frequently undergo updates and name changes.
For example, a Customer Service course may be restructured and renamed. If an auditor queries why certain staff have not completed the new course, the discrepancy can appear as non-compliance.
Action Point: Maintain a log of course modifications, including approval dates and responsible parties.
- Link Employees to Their Employee Numbers
Just as course names can change, so can employee names.
It’s essential to utilize employee numbers as identifiers to avoid confusion, especially if employees change names or if there are duplicates.
Action Point: Ensure that all attendance records include employee numbers.
- Tag Training for Reporting Purposes
Understanding the types of reports your organization requires throughout the year is vital.
For instance, reports may need to categorize courses by type (safety vs. non-safety) and separate attendees by gender or role.
Action Point: Establish consistent tagging for training courses to facilitate accurate reporting.
- Manage One-Off Training Courses Effectively
Depending on your organization, training might involve large group sessions, e-learning modules, or individual training.
Rather than creating a new course for each one-off training, consolidate them under a single "Individual Training" course, documenting details in the comments section.
Action Point: Streamline your LMS by reducing individual courses while ensuring accurate reporting.
Final Thoughts
Training records typically only gain attention when they are needed. If you cannot provide these records or if they are incomplete, it may reflect poorly on your professional capabilities.
If your training records are not up-to-date, devise a strategy to rectify this and implement systems for future accuracy.
Lastly, exercise common sense—if an employee has undergone training unrelated to their role, it’s worth investigating further.
Key Takeaways:
- Employee training records must be accurate, current, and easily accessible.
- A variety of stakeholders may request these records, often on short notice.
- The complexity of multiple courses and trainers can lead to errors.
- Only those responsible for training records fully grasp the potential issues and how to address them.
- If maintaining these records falls to you, ensure they are organized to protect your professional reputation.
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