New-hire training checklist by role: a simple guide for small teams

When a team grows from 15 to 40 people in a few months, onboarding stops being something one person can keep in their head. A checklist per role makes sure every new hire gets the training their job needs, in the right order.

Why new-hire training slips

• Everyone assumes someone else did the induction.
• Certificates from a previous job are accepted without checking the expiry date.
• Role-specific training, like a forklift license or food hygiene, is forgotten when people start in a rush.
• People who change roles never get the training the new role needs.

Build the checklist in six steps

1. List your roles as they really are: picker, forklift operator, driver, supervisor, office.
2. Write down what everyone needs: induction, fire safety, manual handling.
3. Add what each role needs on top: forklift license, first aid, food hygiene and similar.
4. Say when each item is due: first day, first week, first month, or before doing the task.
5. Note the validity of anything that expires, so the renewal is planned from day one.
6. Decide who signs off each item: an internal trainer or an outside provider.

Example checklist

role,training,validity,when
Everyone,Induction,No expiry,First day
Everyone,Fire safety,12 months,First week
Everyone,Manual handling,36 months,First month
Forklift operator,Forklift license,24 months,Before driving a forklift
Supervisor,First aid,36 months,First month
Driver,First aid,36 months,First month
Kitchen staff,Food hygiene,36 months,Before handling food

Download the example checklist (CSV)

This is an example only. What is required depends on your industry, your country and your own risk assessment.

How TeamCerts turns it into a live checklist

• Set the required trainings per role once. Anyone with a start date in the last 90 days or in the future appears on the New hires page with a checklist built from their role.
• Each card shows progress, for example 1 of 3 done. Ticking an item logs a completion dated today; edit the date and trainer later.
• An expired certificate counts as not done, so old certificates from a previous job don’t slip through.
• The Monday reminder email lists new hires with unfinished checklists.

Paper, onboarding software or TeamCerts?