In brief: A training attendance sheet is the document on which each learner signs to certify their presence at a training session. Mandatory to justify funding and satisfy quality certification requirements, it must include specific mandatory fields and be retained for at least four years. For the administrative teams of training organisations, switching to a digital attendance sheet eliminates the risk of loss, fraud and funder rejection.
A training attendance sheet is an administrative document on which participants in a training session sign to certify their attendance. It constitutes the main proof of the execution of a training programme and conditions the payment of funding by funding bodies.
In continuing professional training, the attendance sheet has recognised evidential value under labour law and quality certification frameworks. Without it, a training organisation cannot justify the effectiveness of the service nor claim training cost reimbursement.
It can be collective (one sheet for the whole group per half-day) or individual (one sheet per learner covering the full programme). Funding bodies generally specify the expected format in their requirements.
To be valid during a funder audit or quality check, an attendance sheet must include:
Paper sheets remain legal but have concrete limitations for administrative teams:
A digital attendance sheet with eIDAS-certified signatures eliminates each of these friction points. It is compliant from the moment of signing, with no manual intervention.
Attendance sheets must be retained for at least four years after the end of the training, in line with accounting obligations and funder audit timelines. For professional certification programmes, retention of five years is recommended.
With a digital attendance sheet, archiving is continuous, automatic and structured. Documents are indexed by training programme, session and learner, and exportable as PDF on demand. No risk of loss, no need for a physical archive room.
Edusign automatically generates compliant attendance sheets from your training data, without any manual creation. Key capabilities:
Learn more: Edusign attendance solution, in-person attendance and electronic document signing.
A valid attendance sheet must include: the full name and signature of each participant, the training title, dates and times of each session, training location, trainer name and signature, training organisation details, and a reference to the training agreement. Some funding bodies require additional fields (logo, learning objectives, signing method). Always check the specific requirements of your funder.
Attendance sheets must be retained for at least four years after the end of the training, in line with accounting obligations and funder audit timelines. For certified programmes, five years is recommended. With Edusign, archiving is automatic in a secure digital vault, accessible at any time.
Word and Excel templates are available online, but they are designed for handwritten signatures. For digital training or to guarantee the legal value of your signatures, a specialist solution like Edusign is recommended: it automatically generates compliant sheets with eIDAS-certified signatures, with no template to download or fill in manually.
Yes. Digital attendance sheets produced by eIDAS-certified solutions are accepted by all major funding bodies. Edusign has been explicitly validated by the leading funding bodies. The condition: the sheet must include mandatory fields and a signature authenticity verification link.
No. An eIDAS-compliant electronic signature validly replaces a handwritten signature on an attendance sheet. It has the same legal value and is recognised by all professional training funders. The handwritten signature remains possible but is no longer mandatory when using a certified digital solution like Edusign.
