Training plan template
A training plan sets out what your team or company needs to learn over the coming year and how: each skill gap, the training that will close it, who goes, the format and provider, the cost, the target date and how you'll judge whether it worked. This free Excel template puts the whole plan on one sheet, adds up the cost and flags anything running late.
Running a company of 30 to 200 people? Documents like this are now worth money.
Because every line carries a cost, the plan doubles as your training budget. The example is for a fictional 95-person insurance broker.
What's in the template
The workbook has a read-me, a blank plan for 30 lines and an example. The team, period, budget and owner go at the top; priority, format and status are drop-downs; Cost totals at the bottom; and Late? turns red when a target date passes before the line is Done or Cancelled. The example plan, leaving out the who, format, provider and Late? columns:
| Skill gap or need | Priority | Training (course or activity) | Cost | Target date | Status | How success is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New team leaders have had no management training | High | Management essentials: one-to-ones, feedback and absence | 3,200 | 19 Nov 2026 | Booked | All four hold monthly one-to-ones by January; fewer team issues passed up to HR |
| Only one person can run the month-end commission reconciliation | High | Shadow two month-ends, then run one with a review | 0 | 29 Jan 2027 | In progress | Runs the January reconciliation alone, with no errors |
| One first-aider for two floors since the office expanded | High | First aid at work course | 640 | 03 Dec 2026 | Planned | A certified first-aider on each floor every working day |
| Staff clicking links in phishing emails | Medium | Security awareness e-learning, then a test phishing email | 1,400 | 26 Feb 2027 | Planned | Fewer clicks on the second test email than the first |
| Renewal calls losing clients on price | Medium | Coaching on renewal conversations, with call reviews | 0 | 30 Apr 2027 | Planned | Retention on coached handlers' renewals, against the same months last year |
| Monthly reports rebuilt by hand in Excel | Low | Excel: lookups and pivot tables | 0 | 12 Mar 2027 | Planned | Month-end report pack built in one day instead of three |
| New starters slow to learn the broking system | Medium | Recorded system walk-throughs | 0 | 09 Oct 2026 | Done | New starters quote without help by the end of week two |
| Total | 5,240 |
How to build a training plan
- Start from this year's goals and risks, not a course catalogue. A new system, a new site, a key person leaving, a rise in complaints: each points to a gap.
- Collect gaps from managers and reviews. Your skills matrix shows where cover is thin, and the training matrix shows which mandatory renewals fall due.
- Write each gap as a problem before choosing any training, so the plan doesn't turn into a list of courses people fancy.
- Prioritise. High means legally required or something the business can't run without; medium improves results; low is nice to have. When the budget runs short, the lows go first.
- Choose the cheapest format that will work. Shadowing, coaching or an in-house session can close a gap that a course wouldn't.
- Agree the success measure before booking, check it afterwards, and review the whole plan every quarter, so next year's budget rests on results rather than opinion.
HSE's brief guide to health and safety training follows five similar steps: decide what training is needed, set priorities, choose methods, deliver it, and check it worked.
Example: a fictional 95-person insurance broker
The broker's plan has seven lines and £5,240 of external spend; four lines cost only staff time. What makes it work:
- Every line starts from a problem the business can see, not a course someone found.
- High priority is kept for what the business can't run without: first-aid cover for the larger office, people management for new team leaders, and a second person for the month-end reconciliation.
- The success measures use numbers the broker already tracks, such as renewal retention, so checking them takes minutes.
What the law says (UK)
- Health and safety training must be free for employees and should take place during working hours, and staff need extra training when equipment or working practices change (HSE).
- The written statement given on an employee's first day must include any training you require, whether or not you pay for it. The wider statement, due within 2 months, covers any right to non-compulsory training you provide (GOV.UK).
- Time off for training: employees can ask for it only in some cases. GOV.UK lists the conditions, including at least 26 weeks' service and at least 250 people working in the organisation. The time off is usually unpaid unless the employer agrees to pay it.
Common mistakes
- Courses with no gap behind them. If nobody can say what problem a line solves, cut it.
- Counting only the fee. Six people on a day's course is also six days of work not done, so plan the cover.
- Booking courses in the busiest season, then cancelling them. Put dates where the work allows.
- Forgetting renewals that are already due. Check the training matrix before you plan anything new.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a training plan and a training matrix?
A training plan looks ahead: what training will happen, why, when and at what cost. A training matrix is a record of who has completed which required courses and when each is due again.
How much should we budget for training?
There's no standard figure. Build the budget up from the plan: price each line, allow for the cost of cover while people are away, then cut low-priority lines until it fits.