How to Create a Training Policy

Educational guides for employers on organising workplace training — identifying needs, planning, delivering, recording and reviewing. Connected to workplace training, training records and workplace safety. Informational only — not legal advice, not certified training and not a substitute for legally required instruction; employers remain responsible for compliance.

What a training policy is

A training policy is a clear statement of how the organisation handles training — its purpose, scope, the responsibilities of different people, and how training is planned, delivered, recorded and reviewed.

This page is an educational outline of how employers generally create one. A policy describes intentions and arrangements; it does not itself deliver training, certify anyone or guarantee compliance.

Why a training policy matters

• It makes expectations and responsibilities explicit.
• It helps training be consistent rather than ad hoc.
• It connects training to safety, competence and records.
• It gives managers and staff a shared reference point.

Before you start: what you need

• An understanding of how training currently happens across the organisation.
• Clarity on who is, or should be, responsible for what.
• Awareness of the training your roles and risks require.
• Input from managers, supervisors and staff representatives.

Step 1: Define purpose and scope

• State why the organisation provides training and what it aims to achieve.
• Set out who and what the policy covers, including agency workers.
• Reference induction, role training, safety training and development.
• Make clear that required training is non-negotiable.

Step 2: Set out responsibilities

• Define what the employer, managers, supervisors and workers are each responsible for.
• Explain how training needs are identified and approved.
• Set out who delivers, who records and who reviews training.
• Clarify that competence and authorisation are the employer’s judgement.

Step 3: Cover records, review and improvement

• State how training is recorded and where records are kept.
• Set expectations for keeping records current and secure.
• Describe how training and the policy itself are reviewed.
• Explain how the policy is communicated and kept up to date.

Involving managers and competent persons

A workable policy reflects how training actually happens, so it should be shaped with managers, supervisors and competent persons rather than written in isolation. They help ensure it is realistic and that responsibilities are clear.

They contribute to the policy, but ownership of the policy, and responsibility for the training it describes, remains the employer’s.

Documentation & records

• Keep the policy itself version-controlled and dated.
• Link it to your training matrix and record templates.
• Record that staff have been made aware of the policy.
• The policy and related records can be kept and shared as PDFs.

How to review and improve

• Set a regular review date for the policy.
• Update it when roles, risks, equipment or the law change.
• Check that what the policy says actually happens in practice.
• Gather feedback from those who have to follow it.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Writing a policy that does not match what really happens.
• Treating the policy as compliance rather than delivering the training.
• Leaving responsibilities vague so no one owns them.
• Never reviewing the policy after it is written.

Who is responsible and your legal duties

The employer owns the training policy, decides its content and remains responsible for delivering the training it describes. This guide is an educational outline to help draft one — it does not deliver training, certify anyone or make a policy legally sufficient.

What a policy should contain to meet legal expectations depends on your jurisdiction and circumstances. Confirm against the applicable law; this guide is not legal advice and following it does not make your workplace compliant.