How is skill coverage calculated?

For each skill, coverage is qualified people divided by the qualified people the skill needs, both set by you. In the example, CNC setup needs 4 qualified setters and has 3, so coverage is 75% and the skill is Below target against a 100% target; that is a gap of 25 percentage points, the same answer as the Target-Skill Certification Coverage calculator for 3 certified out of 4 required.

What do the levels 0 to 4 mean?

The workbook uses a common five-step scale, written on Setup: 0 not trained, 1 in training (works only alongside a trainer), 2 can do the job with support, 3 qualified (works alone to the standard) and 4 expert (can train and sign off others). A record counts as qualified from level 3 by default; change the qualified level on Setup if your plant qualifies people at a different step.

How does it handle certificates and licences that expire?

Give the skill a renewal interval in months on Setup. The expiry date is the assessment date plus that many months, and the renewal status is Overdue once the expiry is before the as-of date, Due soon within the window you set (60 days by default) and OK otherwise. In the example, a forklift licence assessed on 14 Aug 2023 with a 36-month interval lapsed on 14 Aug 2026, so on 30 Sep 2026 it is Overdue and that person no longer counts as a qualified driver.

A shift whose qualified people for a skill are fewer than the skill's minimum per shift. In the example, CMM inspection needs 3 qualified people and has 3, so its coverage is 100%, but all three work Early or Late; Night has two people at level 2 and none qualified, so the cell is red and the skill's status is Check.

Why keep training records instead of typing levels into the grid?

Because a level needs a date and an assessor to be evidence, and a lapsed qualification must stop counting. With one record per person and skill, the matrix, the coverage counts and the renewal list all come from the same rows and cannot disagree. The matrix still reads like the classic board version: people down the side, skills across the top, levels in the cells.

Does this make us compliant with ISO 9001 competence requirements?

It helps you keep the documented evidence ISO 9001 clause 7.2 asks for (who is competent for what, and the actions taken to close gaps), but the levels are your assessors' judgement against your own standards. The workbook counts and dates them; it does not assess competence. Keep training content, assessment criteria and certificates in your own system and reference them in the Notes column.

Safety and People

Skills and Training Matrix Excel Template

Keep one training record per person and skill, with the level, the date and the assessor, and see the skills matrix, coverage against what each skill needs, the shifts without enough qualified people and the certificates that are about to lapse.

Overview

This skills matrix is a working Excel workbook for production supervisors, team leaders and training coordinators who need to know who can do which job, whether every shift is covered and which qualifications are about to lapse. It ships with example records for a fictional 15-person machining and assembly shop on three shifts, so the dashboard, matrix and charts are populated the moment you open it; delete the example rows, add your own, and everything recalculates.

Instead of typing levels into a grid, you keep one training record per person and skill: the level on a 0 to 4 scale, the date it was assessed and the assessor. Each skill on Setup says how many qualified people it needs, the minimum per shift and how many months a sign-off or licence stays valid. The workbook works out the expiry date and a renewal status against an as-of date you type, and a record counts as qualified only when its level reaches your qualified level and it has not lapsed. The matrix the team posts on the board is then built from the records, so every number can be traced to a row.

Coverage for a skill is qualified people divided by the people it needs, the same ratio as the Target-Skill Certification Coverage calculator on this site. The dashboard adds what a single ratio cannot show: the shifts that have fewer qualified people than the minimum, the people in training who will close a gap, and the renewals that are overdue or due soon. The overall coverage tile caps each skill at what it needs, so spare forklift drivers cannot hide a shortage of setters.

What this template includes

Training Records table: person, skill, level 0 to 4, date assessed and assessor, one row per person and skill, with dropdowns from Setup
Expiry date from each skill's renewal interval, days left and a renewal status (OK, Due soon, Overdue) against an as-of date you set
Qualified (Yes or No): the level reaches your qualified level and the record has not lapsed, so an expired licence stops counting
Check column that flags people or skills not on Setup, duplicate person and skill rows and dates after the as-of date
Coverage by skill: needed, qualified and in-training people, coverage %, people short, shifts below their minimum, renewals overdue and due soon, and a status word
The skills matrix itself: level by person and skill, green from the qualified level and amber in training, with qualified skills per person
Qualified people per shift for every skill, red where a shift is below the skill's minimum
Dashboard with four KPI tiles and two native charts, a Method sheet with every formula, and a Verify sheet that re-checks the formulas against an independent reference, including the Target-Skill Certification Coverage calculator (Self-check: PASS)

Suggested use case

Use it to plan cross-training, to make sure every shift has qualified people for critical jobs such as setup, inspection, forklift and lockout/tagout, to book renewals before licences lapse, and to show an auditor documented evidence of competence.

How to use it

On Setup, set the as-of date, the qualified level (3 by default) and the due-soon window, then replace the example shifts, people and skills; give each skill the qualified people it needs, its minimum per shift and its renewal interval in months.
On Training Records, add one row per person per skill with the level (0 to 4), the date it was assessed and who assessed it.
Read the Check column, then filter Renewal status for Due soon and Overdue to see which records to renew.
Open the Dashboard: the tiles and the coverage table show which skills are short, the red cells show shift gaps, and the matrix shows who to train next.
When someone is reassessed, update the level and date on their existing row; change the as-of date each time you review the matrix.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is skill coverage calculated?: For each skill, coverage is qualified people divided by the qualified people the skill needs, both set by you. In the example, CNC setup needs 4 qualified setters and has 3, so coverage is 75% and the skill is Below target against a 100% target; that is a gap of 25 percentage points, the same answer as the Target-Skill Certification Coverage calculator for 3 certified out of 4 required.
What do the levels 0 to 4 mean?: The workbook uses a common five-step scale, written on Setup: 0 not trained, 1 in training (works only alongside a trainer), 2 can do the job with support, 3 qualified (works alone to the standard) and 4 expert (can train and sign off others). A record counts as qualified from level 3 by default; change the qualified level on Setup if your plant qualifies people at a different step.
How does it handle certificates and licences that expire?: Give the skill a renewal interval in months on Setup. The expiry date is the assessment date plus that many months, and the renewal status is Overdue once the expiry is before the as-of date, Due soon within the window you set (60 days by default) and OK otherwise. In the example, a forklift licence assessed on 14 Aug 2023 with a 36-month interval lapsed on 14 Aug 2026, so on 30 Sep 2026 it is Overdue and that person no longer counts as a qualified driver.
What is a shift gap?: A shift whose qualified people for a skill are fewer than the skill's minimum per shift. In the example, CMM inspection needs 3 qualified people and has 3, so its coverage is 100%, but all three work Early or Late; Night has two people at level 2 and none qualified, so the cell is red and the skill's status is Check.
Why keep training records instead of typing levels into the grid?: Because a level needs a date and an assessor to be evidence, and a lapsed qualification must stop counting. With one record per person and skill, the matrix, the coverage counts and the renewal list all come from the same rows and cannot disagree. The matrix still reads like the classic board version: people down the side, skills across the top, levels in the cells.
Does this make us compliant with ISO 9001 competence requirements?: It helps you keep the documented evidence ISO 9001 clause 7.2 asks for (who is competent for what, and the actions taken to close gaps), but the levels are your assessors' judgement against your own standards. The workbook counts and dates them; it does not assess competence. Keep training content, assessment criteria and certificates in your own system and reference them in the Notes column.