- AODA Training Guide
AODA Training for New Employees: Onboarding Compliance Guide
Ontario law requires AODA training before or on a new employee's first day. Not in the first month. Not at the next training session. As soon as practicable — which in practice means day one or day two at the latest for most roles.
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Ontario law requires that AODA training be provided to new employees as soon as practicable after they are assigned their duties — ideally on or before their first day. Not in the first month. Not at the next scheduled training session. As soon as practicable, which in practice means day one or day two at the latest for most roles.
This page covers what new employee AODA training must include, how to deliver it efficiently as part of onboarding, what records to keep, and how requirements vary by role — so HR teams and managers can build an onboarding process that satisfies the legal obligation from the first hire onward.
The legal timing requirement: when training must happen
Both the Customer Service Standard (Ontario Regulation 429/07) and the IASR (Ontario Regulation 191/11) use the phrase “as soon as practicable” to describe when training must be provided to new employees. The phrase does not mean ‘eventually’ — it means as quickly as it is reasonably possible to arrange given the circumstances.
- AODA Training Requirements: Full Employer Obligations
What new employee AODA training must cover
The content of new employee training is the same as for existing staff — the timing is the distinguishing requirement, not the content. Every new hire must receive training covering all of the following:
Role-specific training: what changes by job function
The core training content is the same for all new employees. What varies is the depth and additional content required for specific roles. A frontline employee and a developer joining on the same day need the same foundation — but the developer also needs WCAG training from day one, and a new manager needs Employment Standard training before they begin supervising others.
- Who Needs AODA Training? Full Role-by-Role Breakdown
AODA training in the onboarding timeline
AODA training is most effective when it is embedded in your onboarding process as a fixed step — not an optional add-on or something that gets scheduled when someone remembers. Here is what a compliant onboarding timeline looks like.
Pre-boarding training assign (recommended)
- Assign AODA training course via your training platform
- Send welcome email with course link and completion deadline (day 1 or 2)
- Include a link to the organization's accessibility policy document
Core AODA training completion
- New employee completes Customer Service Standard training
- New employee reviews the organization's accessibility policy
- Completion certificate generated and saved to training records
- Manager confirms training complete in onboarding checklist
IASR training and role-specific content
- New employee completes IASR overview training
- Role-specific module assigned and completed (manager, digital, or HR variant)
- Ontario Human Rights Code content covered as part of IASR training
Policy confirmation and manager briefing
- New employee signs policy acknowledgement form
- Manager covers any site-specific accessibility practices not in the course
- New employee knows how to log and respond to customer accessibility feedback
- For new managers: Employment Standard briefing with HR if not covered in course
Records and refresh triggers
- Training completion record filed in HR system or training log
- Flag to re-deliver training if accessibility policies change
- For managers: refresh when new accommodation responsibilities added to role
What records to keep for new employee training
Training records for new employees are part of the same compliance documentation that applies to all staff. For organizations with 50 or more employees, training records are legally required. For all others, they are strongly recommended — they are the primary evidence of compliance in any enforcement context.
- AODA Certification: How Long Does Training Last?
Common AODA onboarding gaps and how to close them
The same gaps appear repeatedly across Ontario organizations when it comes to new employee AODA training.
Building AODA training into your onboarding checklist
The most durable fix for onboarding gaps is to embed training into your existing onboarding process as a mandatory step. Here is what that looks like in practice.
- AODA Training Requirements for Employers
- AODA Compliance Checklist: Full Self-Assessment
AODA Training Guide — all 14 cluster pages
This is the final cluster page in the AODA Training Guide. Here is the complete set of pages in this pillar:
Frequently asked questions
When exactly does AODA training have to happen for a new employee?
- Both the Customer Service Standard and the IASR require training “as soon as practicable” after duties are assigned. For most roles, day one or day two. The safest approach: send the training link with the job offer so the employee can complete it before their start date.
Does a new employee need training before interacting with customers?
- Ideally yes. An employee who interacts with customers before receiving training is working in a period of non-compliance. Build training into the first morning of onboarding, or complete it before the start date. If a customer interaction goes wrong with an untrained employee, the organization has both an AODA gap and potential Human Rights Code exposure.
Can a new employee's previous AODA training count?
- Partially. Prior training demonstrates familiarity with the Customer Service Standard and IASR. But it will not include your organization’s specific policies, which are a required component. At minimum, provide a policy briefing and have the employee acknowledge it. For most organizations, delivering full training regardless of prior completion is the cleaner, more defensible approach.
What if a new employee starts before the training platform is set up?
- Use the government’s free AccessForward programme at accessforward.ca immediately. It covers the Customer Service Standard, takes under an hour, and generates a certificate. Supplement with a policy document review. This satisfies the core requirement and buys time to set up a full platform without creating a compliance gap.
Do remote employees need AODA training on the same timeline as office employees?
- Yes. Remote employees have the same obligation and the same timing applies. Online training is the natural delivery method for remote staff — assign it digitally on the same basis as any other onboarding task.
What should I do if a new employee refuses to complete AODA training?
- AODA training is a legal obligation on the employer, not an optional benefit. Address refusal through your normal performance and conduct process in the same way as any other mandatory workplace training. Document that training was assigned and the employee declined — this demonstrates the organization met its obligation to provide training even where the employee did not complete it.
Make AODA training part of every hire from day one
The easiest way to stay compliant as your team grows is to make AODA training a non-negotiable onboarding step — assigned with the job offer, completed by day one, recorded automatically.
- All-staff course: Customer Service Standard + IASR + Human Rights Code content
- Your organization's accessibility policies embedded in the course
- Automatic completion certificates — dated and downloadable
- Training records exportable for compliance report and audit purposes
- Role-specific modules: manager, digital/content, HR — assigned by job title
- Pre-boarding assign: send training link with the job offer
- Employer dashboard: see every new hire's completion status at a glance
- Trigger-based refresh: flag re-training when policies change
