Aptem generates compliance documents from the templates configured on a learner's programme, fills them with the learner's data and collects signatures in the platform. This article explains when documents are generated, what happens when you update one, and the order people must sign in.
To set up the templates on a programme, see Configuring the Compliance documents templates.
In this article:
- When are compliance documents generated?
- What data does a document show?
- Updating a document after it's been signed
- When the learner's details change
- What order must documents be signed in?
- Administrator signature mandates
- When a learner sees "All good, you're up to date"
- Recording signatures obtained outside Aptem
- Related articles
When are compliance documents generated?
Most compliance documents are generated when the learner selects Finish at the end of their Onboarding Wizard. The learner then reviews and signs them.
Only these templates are generated at the end of onboarding:
- Commitment Statement
- Apprenticeship Agreement
- Training Plan
- Onboarding
Other documents aren't generated at onboarding. For example, the Off-the-job evidence record belongs to a different group of apprenticeship templates, so you create it manually in Aptem Classic when you need it. See Interpret the Aptem Console 'Off-The-Job Hours' report.
Documents the learner doesn't sign, such as the Written Agreement, aren't generated at onboarding either. An administrator generates them.
You can also generate a document yourself:
- In Aptem Classic: go to the learner's User Profile and open the Compliance Documents section. Select Create the first time a document is generated, or Update to generate a new version. Everyone who needs to sign is then prompted.
- In Aptem Console: create the document from the Signatures grid.
What data does a document show?
A compliance document shows the learner's data, and the template, at the moment it's generated. Later changes don't alter versions already generated. For example, if a learner's line manager changes, earlier versions keep the previous line manager's name, and only versions generated after the change show the new one.
If data isn't showing in a document as you expect, check:
- the data is correct where it's entered, for example on the learner's record or learning plan
- the document has been updated since the data changed
- the template is configured and enabled on the learner's programme.
Values typed into a document's preview are saved for that learner and reused when the document is updated. See Document pre-population and Individual document cache in Configuring the Compliance documents templates.
For where each part of the Training Plan gets its data, see Where Training Plan data comes from.
Updating a document after it's been signed
Once a document has been signed and completed, you can't create a new one for the learner. You can update it as many times as you need when the learner's details or the template change. Each update generates a new version with the latest information, and every version is kept in the learner's Compliance Documents section for audit.
Note: if the template has changed and you select Update, the learner is asked to sign again. To clear every signature and ask everyone to sign again, use the reset option.
When the learner's details change
Changing a learner's details doesn't update their compliance documents automatically. For example, if you change a learner's start date, their Training Plan keeps showing the old Apprenticeship Start Date until you update it.
To show the new details:
- In Aptem Classic, open the learner's profile and go to the Compliance Documents section.
- Select Update on the document, for example the Training Plan.
- Check the new version shows the correct details.
What order must documents be signed in?
Learners and employers sign apprenticeship compliance documents in this order:
- Training Plan
- Apprenticeship Agreement
- Onboarding and other documents
This is the order the documents appear in when the learner finishes the Onboarding Wizard. Tutors can sign in any order.
The employer can only sign the Training Plan and Apprenticeship Agreement after the learner has signed them. Once the learner signs, the documents become available for the employer.
If you create documents manually in a different order, the learner still gets a Signature Required notification for each one, but a document only opens for signing when the one before it is signed. Employers see the same notification, with a greyed-out Sign button in the Signatures grid until it's their turn. Ask the learner to sign the document they can see first, and the next one becomes available.
If the employer has signed but their signature is still required
If the learner and employer sign at the same time, the latest version of the document may only show the learner's signature, because the employer can't sign before the learner. The document then still shows the employer's signature as required.
The employer doesn't need to sign again. An administrator should select Update on the document in the learner's Compliance Documents section in Aptem Classic. This pulls both signatures into the new version.
Administrator signature mandates
If an administrator has a signature mandate set up, it's added automatically as an extra attachment to the compliance documents of every learner they've signed for. The mandate only shows once the learner has signed the document. If a mandate doesn't appear, check whether the learner has signed yet.
When a learner sees "All good, you're up to date"
A learner can't open their learning plan in Aptem Console until they've signed their compliance documents. Instead, they see an "All good, you're up to date" screen. This happens when documents are configured on the programme but haven't been created for the learner:
- Documents aren't created at the end of onboarding. The programme's Onboarding Wizard token has "Do not create compliance documents at end of onboarding wizard (console only)" enabled, and a Commitment Statement, Apprenticeship Agreement or Training Plan document has been configured. An administrator must create the documents.
- Documents were added after onboarding. Documents are only generated automatically when the learner is first enrolled. If they're added to the programme after the learner finishes onboarding, the learning plan can show as up to date even though the learner still needs to sign them. Their tutor must create them in the Compliance Documents section of the learner profile in Aptem Classic, using Create.
Once the documents are created, the learner gets a Signature Required notification. When they've signed, their learning plan unlocks. This check only applies in Aptem Console.
Recording signatures obtained outside Aptem
If you collect a signature on paper or elsewhere, upload the signed copy to the learner's Documents page. See Manage compliance documents.