Employee Training Records: What Should You Keep?

Retention rules, GDPR and industry-specific duties can impose extra obligations. Treat the list below as a practical baseline for running a training matrix and answering client or internal checks. Get advice if you need a formal retention policy.

Core fields worth keeping

• Worker identity: name, role, team, employment or worker type
• Requirement name as you assign it (not a vague nickname)
• Issue date (if known) and expiry or completion date as a real date
• Provider, card or certificate reference if you use one operationally
• Status derived from today: current, due soon, expired, missing, not required
• Link or path to the evidence file
• Short notes: renewal booked, awaiting card, site-specific caveat

Evidence that supports the date

A date without a file is weak when someone asks for proof. Prefer card images, certificates, attendance confirmations and signed induction acknowledgements named so a stranger can find the right person and requirement. Avoid a dumping ground of scan0042.pdf.

Matrix vs individual record

The training matrix is the overview across people. The employee training record is the depth for one person. Keep the same dates in both places — ideally one system of record so they cannot diverge.

Subcontractors and agency workers

If your process covers them, keep the same core fields with a clear worker-type and employer/company column. Separate undocumented folders per subbie are how packs go missing under time pressure.

What this is not

• Not a guarantee of legal or regulatory compliance
• Not a determination that CSCS, IPAF or any other credential is universally mandatory
• Not a substitute for your organisation’s retention and data-protection policies
• Not a skills or proficiency rating — keep capability scoring separate if you use it

When filing is the bottleneck, move records into a live matrix with evidence on the worker row so “what to keep” stays attached to the people you allocate to work.