Another mistake I see is that companies combine job responsibilities and authorities with required skills and training in to one long list. Your job descriptions should be split into two separate sections. The first section should list the job responsibilities, authorities and possible physical requirements. The second section of the job description should list the skills and training that the employee needs to accomplish the duties listed in the first section.

                   So how do I keep track of an employee's training record?
At the end of this article I will present a simple form that can be used to record employee training. First let me explain how the form should be used. The key to making this system work is the coding scheme used to identify the type of assessment an employee has had in satisfying training/skill requirements. The codes of : C, D and EE are used.

The code "C" indicates that the employee received a certificate of completion for required training. You could also define "C" as a certificate or a record of sign-in to a course that was attended.

The code "D" indicates that the employee has accomplished a mastery of a skill through on the job training. Be careful when using this designation. There should also  be a position checklist that is followed for on the job training.

The code "EE" is used to indicate equivalent experience. This code is useful for new employees that already posses a skill/ training when hired. This code is also useful if you are going to "grandfather" existing employees into a new training system.

If you are a company that is just starting to keep track of training records for AS/ISO/QS 9000, you will probably want to institute a general grandfathering of the workforce when you begin. It would be silly to re-train the workforce to provide skills they probably already possess. If you are going to use a "grandfather" scheme you should still go through the exercise of completing a training record for all employees. Most of your existing employees will be given the designation of "EE".
NOTE: This activity should be used as a real opportunity to identify training needs or skills that may be lacking.