People Inc. feature or MS Excel

How does the People Inc. training matrix compare with a training matrix built using Microsoft Excel? Perhaps the answer is that, while the starting point is likely to be very similar, each approach will have its own set of features and strengths.

A Training Matrix is a table that provides an overview of the staff development activities within an organisation. Each cell in the table will contain information about a training course attended by an employee, including an indication of the status of the training (current/expired).

There is usually some additional information recorded within each cell (for example, key dates). The space available in a cell does however tend to be quite limited, so it is not normally possible to display comprehensive details on individual training records in a training matrix.

Management can use a matrix to help them ensure that members of their team have attended suitable training. Employees may have to attend courses for health & safety reasons, to assist in meeting business goals and objectives, or to comply with legislation.

Building a Training Matrix using MS Excel

It is very easy to build a training matrix using MS Excel. A training matrix is a table or grid that lists employees along one axis, and courses along the other. Each cell in the main body of the grid relates to just one employee and their attendance on a specific course.

Cells within the training matrix will usually contain a number of different pieces of information. This might include:

• The status of a record: Current, Expired, Training Need, Booked, Abandoned
• Key dates: The course date, a target date (for a training need), and expiry date
• Other information: for example, is the course mandatory for the employee’s role?

If more details, such as department and training category are included in the information in the matrix, it is then possible to sort or to filter the rows and columns shown (it should not be necessary to always display training information for the entire organisation).

Step by Step Guide in Excel

If you would like to learn more about building a Training Matrix for your organisation using Microsoft Excel, then our article may help. It runs through how you can record training needs alongside completed training using a matrix layout. It will also show you how to record both target dates and course expiry dates.

Click on the 'Using Excel' button to view the article.

Excel Training Matrix

Building a Training Matrix in Excel

 

Using Excel

Try our Training Matrix Generator

Alternatively, you could try using our Training Matrix generator (one of our free calculators/tools) to get you started.

This tool can be used to build a basic Training Matrix on-screen. It then allows you to download the matrix you have created and open it with MS Excel. You can then add information (and manage the matrix content) in your PC.

Click in the 'Generator' button to try this tool.

Training Matrix Generator

Online Training Matrix Generator.

 

Generator

The online Training Matrix generator is part of a comprehensive library of tools and calculators available on this website. This includes an FTE calculator, a holiday allowance calculator, and organisation chart generator, and lots more. See the Calculators option on the Resources menu (above) for more detail.

The People Inc. Training Matrix

The People Inc. training matrix takes its information from the training history recorded for employees (within the system). Each cell in the grid shows the most-recent date an employee completed a course and the date this training expires (if any); if the most recent entry is still a training need, the target date is also displayed in the cell.

The Training Matrix will automatically highlight issues found within employee training records. For example, training that has expired will be coloured red. If mandatory training is for some reason missing, this is outlined using a red box.

An interactive tool, the Training Matrix can also be used to register training needs, book staff onto courses or add details of training that has been completed. This can be done for individuals, or for groups of employees. To do this the user simply highlights the cells (employee/course) and opens a dialogue using the right-click option on the mouse.

Users can select the rows for employees in different areas of the organisation, they can re-sort them or group them, they can restrict the columns to display different categories of training course.

If an Excel copy of the Matrix is required (to use in a document for example), users can of course export the grid to Excel.

A training matrix viewer is available for the People Inc. Employee Self-Service module. This provides line-managers with up-to-date information about the training associated with members of their team.

The ESS training matrix viewer uses the departmental security settings in the ESS to ensure that managers only see details for members of their team. Note that line-managers can also be give access to detailed historical training records for their team, and if required, they can be given permissions to update records or even add training records (and training needs) themselves.

Benefits provided by all Training Matrix tools

The following list of features and benefits will be provided by virtually all training matrix tools.

• A training Matrix will show, at a glance, a summary of the training undertaken by members of staff. It should also show key dates, and a status for each cell (for each training course, for each employee).
• It should be possible to filter the training matrix for example by department, or by category of training course.
• The training matrix should automatically highlight training that is about to expire, training that has indeed expired, and training needs that have not been satisfied (based on a target date).
• It should be possible to provide access to the training matrix and selectively allow various members of staff to update the information it contains.
• It should be possible to re-use the information shown in the matrix within reports or other documents.

An Excel-based training matrix, and the People Inc. training matrix both provide all of these benefits.

Additional benefits when using the People Inc. Training Matrix

The People Inc. training matrix is fully-integrated into the other training-related features the system provides. When using the People Inc. training matrix, organisations can also benefit from the following features

• A training matrix built using Excel provides a snapshot of the status of training within the organisation. Rather than keep just the information relating to the most recent training event (per course) for each employee, People Inc. allows users to retain full historical records (for example, you can see details of every First Aid course attended by a particular employee).
• Rather than just record some dates and a status, retain unlimited detail on each course event. For example: the cost (including expenses), the training provider and their contact details, the other delegates attending the same course, feedback information from delegates.
• Attach documents for each training event. For example: copies of course instructions and documentation, copies of course certificates or qualifications, copies of training feedback forms.
• Allow employees to view their own training information (or parts of it) via their ESS login.
• Enable delegates to provide training feedback for each training event by completing an online training feedback form.
• Build role-based training profiles that automatically generate training needs for new employees (and for staff moving to a new role) based on the job that they are assigned. Update these automatically when new training requirements arise.
• Generate automated e-mail alerts (to HR or to the line manager) prior to the expiry of a training course (for an employee), or prior to the target date to satisfy a training need.
• Use mail-merge to generate course correspondence (using standard letter templates) for those attending training.
• Generate reports that analyse training information. For example: Training attended per employee, pending training needs, an analysis of training feedback, compliance reports (based on mandatory training), training spend per costs centre (against budget), etc.
• User-access profiles can be used to control the level of access a user (perhaps a manager) has, and limit the changes each user can make. The system also keeps track of changes made by users within the data.
• Data is held centrally and securely, and is readily accessible to staff who need access. There is no scope for local copies (and the associated data-protection risks) or fragmentation of data (when different copies of a spreadsheet are updates independently)
• When staff leave the employment of an organisation, under GDPR, any information relating to their employment should be deleted after a pre-determined period of time (usually 6 years). A tool to manage this process is provided within People Inc.

More Information

If you would like more information regarding People Inc. and how it manages training records, please contact us on 01908 265111, or click the button below to request a call-back.

Related Features

The People Inc. system provides extensive functionality to help manage employee training records. Links to some examples are provided below:

Training Matrix

View and update staff training records (showing key dates) in an easy-to-read matrix format.

...and using Excel

A guide to building a simple training matrix for your organisation using Microsoft Excel.

Training Features

A summary of the training features offered by the People Inc. system, and the ESS module.

Discover more about these topics

• Training Matrix
• Training Management
• Training Records

External Resources

Listed below are some links to additional training-related information. The links go to pages on external websites. These links are given for reference only.

• 5 tips for effective Training Needs Analysis (www.britishcouncil.org) - External Link.

• How to create a training matrix using Excel (www.youtube.com) - External Link.

• Three ways to create a training matrix (www.exceldemy.com) - External Link.