As a manager in Spark, you can set compliance rules to help your organisation stay on track with mandatory training. This guide explains the two types of compliance rules and shows you how to create them step by step.
At a glance
Who: Managers and Admins
What: Create Company or Trainee rules to set training targets, issue reminders and monitor compliance.
When to use: For departmental targets, new-starter onboarding or auditing.
Before you start
- Confirm Organisational Units and Job Roles are set up correctly.
- Decide whether you need a proficiency target (company rule) or grace period (trainee rule)
- Choose sensible reminder timing so managers have time to act.
- Name the rule clearly (include translations as required).
Why this matters
Track who's trained - set clear targets so you know who has completed the required training
See team progress - check compliance for each team or role in one place
Avoid last minute issues - reminders give managers time to follow up before training expires
Stay prepared for reviews - the Compliance Summary shows how training is being monitored.
FAQ
Q: What happens if someone starts mid-cycle?
A: Use a grace period for trainee rules. This prevents new starters from being marked non-compliant while allowing them time to complete their training.
Q: Can I create multiple rules for the same group?
A: Yes, you can have different rules for different training requirements. Use clear naming conventions.
Q: How can I show compliance?
A: The compliance summary shows which trainees are compliant and which are not. You can click into individual training items to view a full break down of training progress and upcoming expiries, giving managers a clear picture of compliance in real time.
Q: What if completion rates look lower than expected?
A: Check that the correct training is selected, that all staff have the right or unit assigned and that reminders and expiries are set correctly.
Q: Who should I contact if a rule seems to affect the wrong people?
A: First, check the assigned Org Units or Job roles. If everything is set correctly, but the rule still behaves unexpectedly, contact Sponge support.
Use Case
Scenario:
A facilities company operates multiple regional sites. Each site must complete required Health & Safety training on time, with certifications renewed before expiry. Managers need to track performance and demonstrate that training is being done to their bosses.
How Spark helps:
- Create a Company compliance rule for each Organisational Unit to track training compliance.
- Regional managers monitor compliance in the Compliance Summary, seeing which sites are on track or falling behind.
- Reminders alert managers in advance, giving them time to follow up.
- Managers can reference the Compliance summary as evidence that training is being monitored.
About compliance rules
The are two types of Compliance rules:
-
Company - manages compliance requirements associated with the Organisational Unit, within a set period.
-
Trainee - applies to a Job role and ensures trainees in that role complete the required training proficiency within a set period.
Compliance rules are displayed on the Compliance Summary page.
Creating a compliance rule
- From the dashboard, navigate to the Settings tab.
-
Under General, select compliance rules.
-
Click +Create compliance rule. (Note: If this is the first time you are adding a compliance rule, the following screen will be displayed. You can select the type of compliance rule that you would like to add, identified by the two tabs.).
Company-level compliance rule
Before you start
- Make sure your Organisational units are set up with Roles (see the Company Structure Guide)
Steps
-
Click Create company-level compliance rule.
- Complete the following details:
- Organisational unit role - links all units in the company structure to this rule.
- Proficiencies - choose the defined training series that counts towards compliance.
- Proficiency Numbers - set how many trainees must be proficient.
- Warning Period (reminders) - define how many days before expiry a warning should show.
- Terminology - enter a name for the rule (including translations if using multiple languages).
- Click Create compliance rule to save.
- The new rule will now appear in your compliance rules list.
Trainee Compliance rule
Before you start
- Make sure trainees are assigned Job Roles, and that those roles are linked to Proficiencies (see the Job Roles and Proficiencies guides).
Steps
-
Click + Create compliance rule and select Create trainee-level compliance rule from the drop-down
- Complete the following details:
- Job Role - links all trainees with the role to this rule.
- Proficiencies - select the training series for compliance.
- Grace Period - number of days after a trainee starts the role before they must be compliant.
- Warning Period - Number of days before expiry, when a warning should appear.
- Terminology - enter a name for the rule (include translations if using multiple languages).
- Click Create compliance rule to save.
- The new rule will now appear in your compliance rules list.