Training records: why you need to keep them

Why should training documentation reports be kept?

“As long as the employees know they’ve completed the training, why do we need to keep all that paperwork?” I hear you saying.

Let me preface this by saying there’s always a troublemaker in the crowd. For most companies, the need to retain training documents exists on 2 levels.

First, is regulatory compliance.

It is important to know what your company’s regulatory requirements are. Just like training compliance, an employee record keeping is also a requirement. For example, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health regulation requires all employers to report and keep incident information on all work-related injuries and illnesses. In most states, the Department of Labor administers the recordkeeping and reporting system. Employers who comply with this legislation are responsible for the location, storage, and maintenance of these records. This is where a solid training record management systemen could be of great use.

Second, the internal management.

Even if a training record is not needed for compliance, it is beneficial for any organization to keep track of which employees have received which training.

Incentive plans can be based on whether employees have successfully completed internal training. Employees' personal successes are key to not only keeping them up to date on new events in their field but also making them feel like valued members of your organization and achieving personal success.