Policy Under Review
UW System Administrative Policy 1293

Mandatory Employee Training

Original Issuance Date: May 2, 2023 

Last Revision Date: August 21, 2023 

1. Policy Purpose

The University of Wisconsin System’s most valuable resource is its people. Education and training play a key role in clarifying expectations and responsibilities while minimizing legal, financial, and physical risks both for employees and for the University of Wisconsin System. This policy sets out the mandatory training requirements, the employees to whom the training applies, the frequency with which training must be undertaken, and the responsibilities of those involved. 

2. Responsible UW System Officer 

Associate Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer 

3. Scope and Institutional Responsibilities 

This policy outlines the requirements for mandatory employee training for all employees of the University of Wisconsin System, except for UW-Madison. 

Institutions may develop their own policies, procedures, and/or guidance, using this System policy as the minimum requirements for mandatory training. 

Institutions shall develop their own procedures to operationalize this System policy. Institutions may also develop guidance to support the policy and procedures. 

4. Background 

UW System employees are subject to a variety of mandatory training requirements stemming from Executive Orders, Regent Policies, UW System Administrative Policies, State and Federal laws and UW System risk management practices. The completion of some of these trainings is required for eligibility for Pay Plan compensation increases per UW System Administrative Policy 1278, UW System Pay Plan Distribution Framework for University Workforce. 

5. Definitions 

Mandatory training: Training that is required by policy, or that an employee is required to complete at the direction of the employee’s supervisor. Mandatory training is a work assignment and is generally completed during the employee’s paid work hours. 

FERPA: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99). This law governs the privacy of student education records. 

Preventing Sexual Harassment & Violence: This training will be provided by UW System and will contain material required by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). 

Mandated Reporter: This training will be provided by UW System and will contain material required by Executive Order 54 

Information Security Awareness: This training will be provided by UW System and will contain material required by UW System Administrative Policy 1032, Information Security: Awareness. 

6. Policy Statement 

The University of Wisconsin System requires that its employees receive the training necessary to comply with the requirements of state and federal law and regulations, Regent Policy Documents (RPDs), and with UW System Administrative policies. 

A. Mandatory Training Requirements 

I. New Hires 

      1. Mandatory Training for new hires must be completed within 30 days of the employee’s first day of employment. 
      2. Training
        1. Information Security Awareness 
          1. Required for all employees who are issued digital credentials to access non-public IT resources under the control of the UW System. 
          2. In addition to other consequences, failure to complete will result in suspension of access to UW System IT resources. Ongoing failure to complete may result in progressive discipline. 
        2. Mandated Reporter 
          1. Required for all employees of the UW System.
        3. Preventing Sexual Harassment and Violence 
          1. Required for all employees of the UW System. 
          2. In addition to other consequences, ongoing failure to complete may result in progressive discipline. 

    2.   II. Recurring Mandatory Training Requirements 

      1. Information Security Awareness 
        1. Required annually for all employees who are issued digital credentials to access non-public IT resources under the control of the UW System. 
        2. In addition to other consequences, failure to complete will result in suspension of access to UW System IT resources. Ongoing failure to complete may result in progressive discipline.
      2. Preventing Sexual Harassment and Violence 
        1. Required every three years for all UW System employees. 
        2. In addition to other consequences, ongoing failure to complete may result in progressive discipline.

    2.   III. Role-Dependent Training Requirements 

      1. FERPA Training 
        1. Employees with access to student records in the course of their employment shall complete FERPA training as required and provided by their institution. 
        2. Failure to complete FERPA training as assigned by the institution may result in the suspension of an employee’s access to student records. 
      2. Youth Protection 
        1. Employees meeting the definition of “authorized adults” and/or “designated individuals” in the context of UW System Administrative Policy 625, Youth Protection and Compliance must complete the training required by that policy prior to any interaction with youth participants in any covered activities. 

  2.  B. Enforcement of Pay Plan Requirements 

    1. I. Pay Plan Eligibility 

      1. For purposes of pay plan eligibility, the mandatory training requirements articulated in UW System Administrative Policy 1278, UW System Pay Plan Distribution Framework for University Workforce policy section 6.F shall include those requirements in sections 6.A.I and II of this policy, as well as any mandatory training requirements articulated in the local institution policies applicable to an employee. 
      2. For that training required in section 6.A.I of this policy, if an employee has not completed the required trainings within 30 days of hire, an e-mail shall be sent to the employee and the employing university’s Office of Human Resources providing notice of the failure to complete the training within the required timeframe. An automatic 30-day extension will be granted to the employee to complete the training. If the training is not completed during this 30-day extension period, the employee shall be ruled ineligible for pay plan. 
      3. The mandatory training in sections 6.A.II of this policy shall be offered every year from March 1st through March 31st. Employees must complete the training to meet the requirements of SYS 1278 for pay plan eligibility.  
      4. An employee who has failed to complete a mandatory training requirement by the prescribed deadline and who has subsequently become ineligible for a pay plan wage increase on that basis, may cure that ineligibility by completing the required training no later than 60 days prior to the implementation date for the pay plan increase.  

  2.  C. Accommodations 

    1. I. Employees on Approved Leave 

An employee who is on approved paid or unpaid leave on the deadline date for any mandatory training shall be granted a reasonable period of time to complete the training upon the employee’s return to work. In the case of recurring training requirements offered during the March 1st through March 31st timeframe, an employee who was on leave for all or substantially all of that time period shall be granted a reasonable period of time to complete the training upon the employee’s return to work. The updated deadline date for any required training will be communicated to the employee in writing. 

II. Disability Accommodations 

An employee who is unable to complete a mandatory training requirement due to a disability may request an accommodation using the normal disability accommodation process for the employee’s institution.

III. Trauma Waiver- Preventing Sexual Harassment and Violence 

An institution HR department may, at its sole discretion, release an employee from the requirement to complete training related to Preventing Sexual Harassment and Violence if, in the judgment of the HR staff, the benefit of the training is outweighed by the risk of traumatizing the employee or otherwise adversely affecting the mental health of the employee. 

D. Credit for Prior/Concurrent Training

I. Student Employees 

Student employees who have completed the UW System student trainings on Information Security Awareness and Preventing Sexual Harassment and Violence shall be granted a waiver of those new hire training requirements.  

II. Prior/Concurrent UW System Training

      1. Employees who begin a UW System appointment after having previously been employed by a UW System institution within the last 12 months may be granted a waiver of the new hire training requirements by the employee’s institution HR department. To qualify for this waiver, the employee must present documentation of having previously completed the new hire training and/or being up to date on any recurring or role-dependent training requirements in their previous position. For purposes of recurring training requirements, the employee must have completed the required training within the last year for annually required training, or within the last three years for the Preventing Sexual Harassment and Violence training.
      2. Employees who are concurrently employed by more than one UW System institution are only required to complete new hire and recurring mandatory training for their primary position. The employee is still required to complete any role-dependent mandatory training for each position (unless the same role-dependent training is required for all positions, in which case the employee need only complete the training once). If the employee works at more than one institution, the employee is still required to complete any mandatory training required by the local institution polices of each employing institution.  

    2.  III. Other Prior Training 

An employee may be granted a waiver of mandatory training requirements by the employee’s institution HR department, if the HR department’s training compliance designee determines that the employee has completed training that is substantially identical to UW System mandatory training. To qualify for this waiver, the employee must provide documentation that the training was completed and that the training curriculum was substantially identical to the comparable training offered by the UW system. 

7. Related Documents 

Regent Policy Document 14-2, Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment 

UW System Administrative Policy 1032, Information Security: Awareness 

Executive Order 2011-54, Relating to Supplemental Mandatory Reporting Requirements of Child Abuse and Neglect 

UW System Administration Policy 625, Youth Protection and Compliance 

8. Policy History  

Revision 1: August 21, 2023  

First approved: May 2, 2023 

9. Scheduled Review  

April 2028