How to use a LMS for compliance training

A Learning Management System (LMS) for compliance training management is an online training platform which covers the essential training surrounding compliance. Whilst it varies depending on the platform itself, it should include the following tools:

1. Trackable eLearning courses
2. Automatic system reports on compliance
3. A clear audit trail
4. Automated reminders and refresher training
5. Customised certificate paths

Ensuring that everyone within your organisation understands the compliance demands is vital to any business, but it is especially relevant to organisations where non-compliance presents a high risk, such as financial services and health and safety.

Being in a position to offer training at scale, particularly for large organisations where there is a lot of ongoing training within different departments, is a vital component which can be utilised within a compliance training LMS.

Learning management software is a valuable tool used by many compliance managers and L&D teams. Due to the frequency and variety of assessments that need to be kept track of, often on an annual basis, there is no room for error. Taking on this responsibility as a manual task can lead to errors occurring without it being noticed. Using a compliance training management platform where alerts, messages and certification is provided will reduce the problems that arise.

For compliance managers, the buck usually stops with them meaning it is their responsibility to implement, track and report back on compliance training. Key areas where an LMS can add great value includes:

• Time management and keeping on top of necessary training
• Getting the right data and information to the right people at the right time
• Keeping up with legislation and regulatory changes
• Reducing stress by automating certain aspects

If these aspects are not handled correctly, it can be detrimental to your company as a whole. This could involve fines, the loss of licenses and will inevitably impact the reputation of your company, something which can be extremely difficult to undo.

It is a tricky task to keep on top of onboarding when there is an influx of new starters. Pair this with employees moving roles internally and it can feel like a never ending stream of onboarding tasks and activities. For compliance or L&D teams, this often means getting employees up to speed with the information they need to be able to do their job effectively.

Automating the process will reduce a lot of admin time and get people ready in a much more efficient way, meaning that they will be in a position to show their strengths and add value to the wider business more quickly.

It may be the case that compliance training and the passing of assessments are needed in order for a manager to be able to successfully sign off a probationary period, which makes delays far more problematic. This can even be detrimental to the employees onboarding process and their feeling of belonging within the company as a whole.

A learning pathway can be set up on an LMS for all new starts which will allow them to:

• View all of the information they need at the relevant time
• Test their competence
• Review and sign internal policies
• Get alert emails letting them know when further compliance training is due

A compliance LMS will automate many tasks and in turn, reduce the worry that can come with compliance training expectations. It means that onboarding training cycles can tick along automatically, removes the burden of manually assigning training to each individual and ensures policies are read and signed on time.

A compliance training LMS will also keep track of the follow up tasks and admin that usually goes along with this, allowing compliance managers to focus on other aspects of their role.

It's important for compliance training to be completed on an annual basis which can bring its own set of challenges. Employees may remember small sections of information from previous training which can then make the assessments feel like a memory game and not a learning and training exercise.

This also wastes time, and therefore resource in going over information they already know. Instead, you want to be able to create engaging content that will challenge people, provide new information, and offer something they can get stuck into.

Tools like diagnostic assessments will check in with employees and find out where their strengths lie and what they do need a refresher on. This will create a unique and targeted learning experience based on gaps in their knowledge, ensuring that they don’t have to sit through just another compliance course.

It’s also important to look at compliance training from the perspective of a compliance manager, who will need to assign the training to the correct people exactly when they need it.

Automating this process will take pressure off the team member and allow them to focus on other areas, such as keeping up to date with the latest legislations.

Time allocated to CPD will naturally demonstrate that employees are taking their learning seriously, which can be linked to a specific objective or KPI. Within a good compliance LMS, you should be able to set up various CPD schemes in order to monitor against these objectives, ensuring that this is kept on top of seamlessly.

Some roles and qualifications ask that a certain amount of CPD is completed annually, making it even more important in these instances, and a necessary feature of an LMS that is used for compliance.

The below features should be available within an LMS to assist with CPD records:

• CPD schemes
• Management Information (MI) reporting
• Dashboards and analytics

Creating a culture of compliance within an organisation starts from the very top and filters down, but employees must be willing to play their part in order for it to be rolled out successfully.

It is important for your company and employees not to view any training they complete as only something mandatory that is ticked off then ignored.  Instead, training should be engaging, easy to use and available when needed.

A modern way of learning reduces the need for sitting in classrooms and poring over textbooks, replacing it with online learning that is available as and when needed for each individual. 

A compliance training LMS will assist with the following aspects:

• Bringing all the right tools and information together in one platform
• Embedding a culture of compliance training across the business
• Offering your employees an engaging way of taking on compliance training

Taking into consideration all the points raised in this article, you should have a good idea of what to expect from your learning provider. Your compliance training LMS must be in a position to offer training at scale, automated reminders for upcoming compliance training, and diagnostic tools to reveal knowledge gaps and ensure the correct training is issued.

It is also important that the system is easy to use and encourages a culture of continued compliance learning and training.

At Access, our compliance training LMS platform and extensive library of eLearning courses put you in charge of your learning.