Most California businesses are likely aware that Senate Bill 513 becomes law on January 1, 2026. Why is video LMS uQualio bringing this up? Well we have an answer.
What is California SB-513 and Why Does It Matter?
This change to Labor Code §1198.5 affects California employers, including the records that they must maintain for employees. Anyone who has worked in HR knows how important record retention is.
The key changes from the existing law with California SB-513 are as follows.
1. Education and Training Records are Now Part of Personnel Records
Many companies already include training and other education records as part of the personnel files. But these are now among existing records that current and former employees have the right to inspect and copy. These include specifically any employer-provided, employer-required, or employer-sponsored training.
2. These Records Must Be Retained for a Certain Time
The records must be kept for all current employees, and retained for at least three years after an employee terminates employment.
3. Certain Fields Must Be Included in the Education and Training Records
If your company has education and/or training records, ensure they contain the following information for compliance with California SB-513:
- Employee’s name
- Training provider name
- Date and duration of the training
- Core competencies covered (including equipment or software skills)
- Resulting certification or qualification
Is There a Pain Point Involved with Non-Compliance?
Of course there is. Your current and past employees have the right to review or receive a copy of the education and training records. Employers must provide requested records within 30 calendar days of a written request (or up to 35 days by mutual agreement). Failure to comply involves a stiff penalty per violation and likely other legal fees.
What Else Can California Businesses Do to Prepare?
- Audit existing training documentation and integrate it into personnel files.
- Ensure all required details are captured for each training event.
- Update HR policies and systems to handle inspection requests promptly.
- Train HR staff on new compliance obligations.
Oh and if you are already using uQualio, check out our recent Blog Post on December’s Product News Webinar. We tell you how to add more fields to your certificates that can include the required fields above. You can also go straight to our video demo of that feature from our Office Hours discussion of certificates the week before.
uQualio is Here to Help Our Customers be Prepared and Proactive
Our robust certification, tracking and analytics on our platform helps you stay in compliance with this California SB-513 and other laws and regulations. We also listen to our customers when they have questions or challenges regarding issues like this.
Check out our Office Hours weekly event to ask your questions, including expressing your interest in a change in our uQualio application to check for those required features in the California law.
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– uQualio is an award-winning, easy-to-use, all-in-one NextGen LMS software for any types of online video training.
