Whether you have five people or fifty, employee training needs to be under control. Whether it's mandatory training required by law or development courses, you always need to know:
- Who needs to complete what
- When they completed it
- When it needs to be repeated
- And have proof of it
Here is a practical guide on how to manage it all clearly and without confusion.
1. Create a Training List by Job Position
Start by making an overview of which trainings are mandatory for which positions. This includes legal requirements as well as trainings based on the nature of the work.
- Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) and fire protection
- GDPR or working with personal data
- Cybersecurity
- Harassment prevention training (in the USA)
- Specific trainings: forklift operation, working at heights, handling chemicals, etc.
Create a simple table or checklist where you assign trainings to individual job positions. This will be useful when onboarding new employees and during inspections.
2. Create an Onboarding Checklist with Trainings
Every new employee should receive a clear list of trainings they must complete upon starting. For example:
- Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) and fire protection
- GDPR
- Introduction to internal rules and processes
- Training on used software or tools
- Rules for working with equipment or data
For each item, note who is responsible for the training, the deadline, and where it is recorded.
3. Keep Records of Trainings
For each employee, it is necessary to keep track of completed trainings. At minimum, record:
- Training name
- Date completed
- Training validity (if time-limited)
- Trainer or training provider
- Proof of completion – e.g., certificate or record
Such records are useful for audits, inspections, and internal overview.
4. Monitor Expiry and Renewal of Trainings
Some trainings need to be repeated regularly. Set up a reminder system or use a tool that automatically notifies you.
Examples of recurring trainings:
- Occupational Health and Safety (OHS): every 12 months
- Fire protection: every 2 years
- IT security: as needed by the company
5. Plan Development Trainings
Also consider trainings that are not only for compliance but develop employee skills:
- Soft skills – communication, presentation, leadership
- Technical skills – working with tools, software
- Language courses
- Professional certifications
Simply keep a development plan or note on what each person should complete and why. It doesn’t have to be complicated.
Summary: What to Keep Under Control
- You can manage the list of trainings by positions using the Training Plan or the training matrix for the entire company
- Training new employees can be handled with the Onboarding Training Plan template (checklist)
- Record of completed trainings is managed through the Employee Training Records, including attachments
- Tracking renewal dates is done with scheduled training dates and automatic reminders
- Employee development is managed using Simple Employee Development Plans
What Tools Can You Use for Training Management and Planning
It depends on what your company uses. Here are some proven options:
- Excel / Google Sheets: for record-keeping and checklists
- Outlook / Google Calendar: for renewal reminders
- Aptien: for managing training, onboarding, and storing certificates
- Email + folders: for storing documents and communication
Want to have everything clearly organized in one place? Use Aptien
In Aptien you can:
- set mandatory training for each position,
- track training completion and attach certificates,
- set automatic reminders,
- manage onboarding and career development of employees.
No spreadsheets, no chaos. Just a clear overview of training in your company.