Free download · Excel
Free training matrix template in Excel
One file with your whole crew's certificates in it: CSCS, first aid, forklift, IPAF, Driver CPC. Call it a training matrix, skills matrix or competency matrix — fill in the expiry date and the row colours itself: red, amber, yellow or green. No account needed.
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What's in the template
A clear entry sheet, a dashboard that updates itself and a “Switch to Certly” tab that shows exactly what you get if you automate the tracking later. The columns:
- Employee — The person's name. One row per certificate, so an employee appears more than once.
- Certificate / document — A dropdown with CSCS card, SMSTS, SSSTS, First aid at work, EFAW, Forklift (RTITB), IPAF, Driver CPC (DQC) and Driving licence.
- Certificate no. — The card or certificate number, so you can pull up the right evidence straight away when someone checks.
- Issue date — Handy to see when someone qualified — not required.
- Expiry date — The only field that really matters. The row colours on it and the dashboard counts on it.
- Job role, department and email — Not required, but smart to fill in now: if you later import the matrix into Certly, it can filter by department and email your workers their own reminders.
The colours follow the same thresholds as Certly's dashboard: expired is red, within 30 days amber, within 90 days yellow, the rest green. So you don't just see what has expired — you see what's about to, which is the moment you can still book a course.
Filling it in (about fifteen minutes)
- Go down your staff list and add each person's certificates — the ones the work actually requires.
- Copy the expiry date straight off the card. Not sure how long something is valid? Check how long a CSCS card is valid or the rest of the knowledge base.
- Mind the short cycles: first aid runs on a three-year cycle, and SMSTS/SSSTS refreshers have no grace period at all — one day late means the full course again.
- Put a recurring reminder in your calendar to check it weekly.
Where the spreadsheet eventually falls over
That last step is exactly the weak spot. A spreadsheet is an archive, not a lookout: it only colours when somebody opens it. With fifteen documents that works. With eighty — ten people is easily forty certificates — it becomes the task that always loses to today's job. That's precisely where it goes wrong, including at firms that thought they had it neatly sorted.
When you hit that point, you don't have to start over: Certly reads this exact file, emails at 90, 60 and 30 days ahead, and sends each worker their own reminder with a link to submit the new date. Create an account and import it — free for 14 days.
Frequently asked questions
How do I keep a training matrix in Excel?
Give every employee one row per certificate, with the document type, number and expiry date. Use conditional formatting to colour the expiry date once it falls within 90, 60 or 30 days, and count the documents per status on a separate dashboard tab. In this free template those formulas and dropdowns are already set up, so you only fill in the data.
Which certificates should a construction training matrix include?
As a minimum: everyone's CSCS card, first aid at work (FAW or EFAW), and the trade tickets that come with the work — forklift, IPAF, and SSSTS or SMSTS for supervisors and site managers. Don't forget agency and subcontract labour: at an audit, what counts is what's demonstrably valid right now, for everyone on site.
Is a training matrix the same as a skills matrix?
In practice, yes — training matrix, skills matrix and competency matrix are used interchangeably for the same table: people down the side, tickets and qualifications across the top. The one thing many skills-matrix templates leave out is the expiry date, and that's the column that keeps you compliant. This template puts it at the centre.
Will the spreadsheet warn me when something expires?
No. A spreadsheet only colours when you open it — it sends no emails and never rings the alarm by itself. So you'd need to check it weekly. If you want an automatic message 90, 60 and 30 days ahead, import this template into Certly.
Can I move this matrix into Certly later?
Yes. Certly recognises this template's columns, so you upload the file and all your workers and documents are in — including department and email address, so workers can be reminded directly. The template has a “Switch to Certly” tab that shows what you get on top, from AI reading to the audit evidence pack.
Running a fleet as well?
The template also takes vehicles: MOT dates, tachograph calibrations and insurance on a separate tab — same traffic-light logic, same import into Certly.