Certifications

Certifications in the LMS represent accredited training credentials (e.g. CPE/CPD, IDD), for which learners must accumulate a defined number of points or hours within a specified period. Unlike a one-off qualification, certification is linked to a recurring assessment period and is therefore the key tool for providing evidence of continuing professional development required by law or within a particular sector.

Sectors and industries for which certification is required

Typical intervals

• Annually: Insurance intermediaries (IDD), financial advisers (WpHG), nursing staff, specialist solicitors

• Every 2 years: Food hygiene, resuscitation training (BLS/ALS)

• Every 3 years: IT certificates (e.g. AWS recertification)

• Every 3–5 years: Professional driver qualification, specialist medical certificates

Objectives and benefits of certification

Up-to-date knowledge and compliance

Objective: to ensure that employees consistently meet legal and regulatory requirements (BaFin, MDK, IHK).

Benefit: complete, automatically verifiable records instead of manual Excel lists.

Professional credibility and career opportunities

Objective: to provide external proof of professional competence (e.g. to regulatory authorities, customers).

Benefit: certificate status as a distinguishing feature, linked to skill and job profiles (separate licence)

Security and mitigation of legal and operational risks

Objective: To avoid fines, bans on practising or liability risks in the event of expired certificates. Benefit: Automatic suspension/escalation upon expiry, rather than retrospective discovery during an audit.

Promoting lifelong learning and adaptability in dynamic sectors

Objective: To establish continuous professional development rather than one-off training.

Advantage: A points/hours system encourages regular, spread-out learning rather than last-minute catch-up.

Use Cases

• Doctor earns CME credits: Is awarded 250 continuing professional development credits over 5 years from various Courses; the ‘Certifications’ panel shows progress; a warning is displayed before the end of the period if the requirement is not met.

• Nurse completes compulsory annual continuing professional development: Certification covering a 12-month period, ‘hours’ format, reset ‘always’ on the 1st of a fixed month (general start date) — for audit verification vis-à-vis the MDK.

• Insurance intermediary fulfils IDD competence requirements: Certification with a minimum requirement of 15 hours per year, individual start date from the time of allocation, grace period for providing evidence of hours missed at short notice.

• Financial advisers complete WpHG continuing professional development: Certification set with a minimum number of points across several subject categories (e.g. investment law, anti-money laundering) — complex scenario with multiple sub-requirements.

• IT security officer keeps ISO 27001 competence up to date: Linking of multiple learning pathways with points awarded, reporting on “certification status” for internal audits.

Module & Prerequisites

Certification management is handled via the optional add-on “Certification Management” — not included in the core licence scope; must be licensed separately. Core concept: Certifications can be bundled into certification sets; certifications are assigned to users and linked to training content.

Steps for setting up certification

1. Activate the licence so that certification can be used

2. Set up the navigation items “Certification” and “Certification Sets”

3. Activate the cron job “Reset certification”.

Steps for assigning certifications to users

Certifications

1. (only active certifications can be selected system-wide)

2. Define the period in months (e.g. 12 months from assignment)

3. Select format: points or hours, including minimum requirement (e.g. “15 hours”)

4. Set start date mode: individual (from assignment) or general (fixed day/month for all)

5. Specify reset type: do not reset / always / only when met

6. Define grace period in days (can only be changed upon creation — not retrospectively)

7. Tick the warning box for unmet requirements in previous periods

8. If there are multiple subject categories: configure a certification set instead of individual certifications