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    Training Matrix

    Also known as: Skills matrix, Competence matrix

    Definition

    A grid of people or roles against the training, qualifications and competences they need, showing each one's status, date achieved and expiry date.

    Editorial definition: The QHSE Standard, updated 3 October 2026 · https://qhsetech.com/glossary/training-matrix

    Scope: A matrix holds records and does not itself show competence or authorise anyone to do a task. None of the sources read prescribes one, and the rules on training and refresh differ by country and sector.

    Example for your evaluation: Follow one operator whose truck evaluation lapses 18 days before a check, while the roster still names them for three shifts.

    Sources checked: . Examples are editorial illustrations.

    What GB regulations, the EU framework directive, HSE, CCOHS and a US truck standard say about tracking training

    On this page a training matrix means a grid with people or roles down one side and the training, qualifications and competences they need across the other. Each cell shows a status, such as valid, due, expired or not yet done, usually with the date achieved and the date it lapses. None of the sources read uses the term or prescribes a layout, so this page sets the grid against what they ask for. Jurisdictions differ, and this is general information, not legal advice.

    Regulation 13 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, marked as applying in England, Wales and Scotland, asks an employer entrusting tasks to take employees' capabilities as regards health and safety into account. It asks for adequate training on recruitment and when people meet new or increased risks through a transfer or change of responsibilities, new or changed equipment, new technology or a new system of work, repeated periodically where appropriate. HSE's small-business guide lists new recruits, people changing jobs or taking on extra responsibilities, young employees and health and safety representatives as workers with particular needs. It says keeping training records helps you decide if refresher training is needed, and that supervision helps monitor whether training worked and whether employees have the competence to do the job.

    Article 12 of the EU framework directive 89/391/EEC, read on EUR-Lex, asks the employer to ensure each worker gets adequate safety and health training, with information and instructions specific to the workstation or job, on recruitment, on a transfer or change of job, and when new equipment or technology arrives. It is repeated periodically if necessary, and the employer must ensure workers from outside undertakings have in fact received appropriate instructions about the risks. CCOHS's sample worker orientation checklist asks for space for the worker's and the supervisor's signature for recordkeeping, ends with an instruction to keep a record of all orientation, education and training, and says not all training can or should happen on the first day.

    In the United States, 29 CFR 1910.178(l) shows what a dated entry can look like for one task. Before an operator drives a powered industrial truck, other than for training, the employer ensures the operator is competent, as demonstrated by training and evaluation. Refresher training follows an unsafe observation, an accident or near miss, a poor evaluation, a different type of truck, or a workplace change that could affect safe operation, and an evaluation takes place at least once every three years. The employer certifies each operator with the name, the date of training, the date of evaluation and who did either.

    Sources opened :

    What a training matrix record holds in software

    • The person, with job or role, site or team, start date and status, such as employee or contractor.
    • The requirements for each role, each with the reason it applies and who owns it.
    • For each person and requirement: the date achieved, who delivered or assessed it, the evidence held, and the expiry or review date.
    • A status worked out from those dates, such as valid, due soon, expired, not yet done or waived with a stated reason.
    • Starts, transfers, changes of role and leaving dates, with the training each one triggered.
    • A history of changes to every entry, including who changed it and when.

    A training matrix, a training record, a competence assessment and an induction

    A training record shows that one person took one course on one date. A training matrix gathers those records against what each role needs, so gaps and lapse dates show at a glance. A competence assessment judges whether the person can do the task, which in the US truck standard means evaluating performance in the workplace; the matrix holds the result but does not make the judgement. An induction, such as the CCOHS orientation checklist, is one line in the matrix. A permit to work authorises a defined job at a defined time, so matrix status can inform that decision without replacing it.

    A hypothetical example: a lapsed truck evaluation behind a mostly green matrix

    Everything here is invented and describes no real company. A depot with 6 truck operators holds 4 requirements for each: site induction, manual handling, truck evaluation and first aid at work. That makes 24 cells. On 1 June the matrix shows 17 valid, 2 due within 30 days, 3 expired and 2 not yet done, and 17 + 2 + 3 + 2 = 24. So 17 of 24 cells, or 71%, are valid. The truck evaluation column has 3 valid, 2 due and 1 expired.

    The expired truck evaluation is the problem. The firm sets its own interval of 3 years, the operator was evaluated on 14 May 2024, and it lapsed on 14 May 2027, 18 days before the check. The roster is a separate file, and in those 18 days the operator was rostered on a truck for 3 shifts. The firm now shows matrix status beside each name on the roster, and a named shift lead decides whether to reassign. The two evaluations due on 15 June and 28 June are booked. At the check on 1 July all three truck evaluations are done, so 17 + 3 = 20 of 24 cells, or 83%, are valid, and 4 remain: manual handling 1, first aid 1 and 2 not yet done.

    Common misunderstandings about training matrices

    • Finishing a course is not competence. The US truck standard asks for competence demonstrated by training and evaluation, and HSE says supervision helps check whether training worked.
    • A green cell is not a permit to work or an authorisation. It shows a record. Whether someone may do a task now also depends on the task, the equipment and supervision.
    • The matrix does not stay right by itself. The GB regulation and the EU directive both name a transfer or change of job as a trigger for training, so role changes must update the rows, and a leaver's row must be closed, not left looking current.
    • It is not only for employees. HSE includes contractors and self-employed people, and the EU text covers workers from outside undertakings.
    • A single renewal interval is not a universal rule. The sources say periodically where appropriate or if necessary, and the three-year evaluation comes from one US truck standard.
    • A percentage of green cells hides which gaps matter. In the example the 71% includes a lapsed truck evaluation next to valid inductions.

    How a training matrix relates to other glossary terms

    The matrix sits between the work people are given and the training behind it. These terms sit around it.

    • Permit to work: the authorisation for a defined job, which may check that the named people have current training.
    • Contractor management: the process that brings contractor staff into the matrix before they start work.
    • Toolbox talk: a short briefing whose attendance can be one dated entry.
    • SOP: the procedure whose revision may require a refresh of training.
    • JSA: the task analysis that shows which skills a job needs.

    Records and evidence that usually exist for a training matrix

    • The matrix itself, with the requirements for each role and the status of every cell on a stated date.
    • The record behind each cell, such as an attendance sheet, certificate or evaluation form, signed by the worker and the trainer or supervisor.
    • Start, transfer and leaving dates matched to the training each change triggered.
    • Review records: supervision observations, gaps found and what was done about them.

    What a software tool needs to capture for a training matrix

    • Requirements set per role, so a new starter or a change of role builds the list, each with its reason.
    • A date achieved, an expiry or review date and a status worked out from the dates, not typed in.
    • Separate fields for attendance and assessment, with the assessor named and the evidence attached.
    • Expiry reminders to the person, the supervisor and the training owner, with a lead time and a list of everything overdue.
    • A link to permits, rosters or task access, so a lapsed item is visible where work is assigned and a named person decides.
    • Contractors and agency workers in the same grid, and leavers closed with a date instead of deleted.
    • A history of changes and an export by person, role and date for an inspector or auditor.

    Catalog profiles documenting safety-training records

    Listed profiles record a safety-training capability. Role-based requirements, expiry reminders and a link to permits or task access as described here are separate points to test with your own roles.

    Same rule for every product: tagged “Training Management” and also “Safety Management”, “EHS Management”, “ISO Management”, “Construction Safety” or “Employee Training”, with a sourced training, competence or induction capability in its record, or one the vendor stated to us, labelled as vendor-stated. Documented and conditional capabilities qualify; check the linked scope before treating a module as included.

    Tekmon pays for a sponsored placement (above); its place in this list follows the same rule as every entry. How lists are ordered

    All 8 matching profiles are shown. Documentation review, not hands-on testing or a claim of compliance.

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    Frequently asked questions

    Is a training matrix a legal requirement?

    None of the sources read requires one by name. Regulation 13 in Great Britain and Article 12 of the EU framework directive require adequate training at set points and periodic repetition, and 29 CFR 1910.178 requires a dated certification for truck operators. How you show it is your choice, so check the law where you work.

    How often should entries be refreshed?

    No single interval applies. The British regulation says periodically where appropriate and the EU directive says if necessary. HSE says training records help you decide on refreshers, and the US truck standard sets an evaluation at least every three years plus refreshers after specified events.

    Who should maintain the matrix?

    The sources name no owner for a matrix. They put the training duty on the employer, HSE says supervision helps check training worked, and the CCOHS checklist has the supervisor sign with the worker. One named owner for the rules and supervisors confirming entries is a sensible split, but it is a choice.

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