Training Acknowledgment

Summary

This training acknowledgment template can be used by a private company to acknowledge an employee's attendance at a company-sponsored training event for commercial topics such as contract law. This template includes practical guidance and drafting notes. Companies are oftentimes required (or well advised) to demonstrate, to government regulators or otherwise, that they used all reasonable efforts to achieve compliance with applicable law, including without limitation, by requiring their agents and employees to maintain such legal compliance. Companies can be held vicariously liable for the actions and inactions of their employees. For more information on vicarious liability, see Vicarious Liability for Business Tort Claims. By holding training sessions on important topics (such as the handling of highly sensitive personal data, by way of example), a company is providing its personnel with detailed guidance to how to comply with the business' policies and applicable federal and state law. Requiring employees to execute an acknowledgement indicating that they attended and understood the subject matter of the training session, a company can demonstrate to regulators, courts, auditors, and other relevant third parties that it made the proper efforts to achieve such compliance. Best practices dictate saving the signed acknowledgments for as long as practically possible, but in no event for less than five years. Copies should be placed in each employee's personnel file in the event that any such employee later claims that he or she was not provided with proper guidance on the subject matter of the training to excuse his or her non-compliance with any applicable law or company policy. For information regarding compliance matters, see Compliance Program Creation.