Records and Information Management Training Course

Course Introduction

The Records and Information Management Training Course provides professionals with the knowledge and practical skills required to manage organizational records and information throughout their lifecycle. The programme focuses on establishing structured systems for creating, capturing, classifying, storing, retrieving, protecting, retaining, and disposing of information while supporting organizational efficiency, accountability, compliance, transparency, and informed decision-making.

Effective records and information management is essential for organizations that generate and receive large volumes of physical and digital information. Participants will explore practical methods for organizing records, developing classification structures, applying retention requirements, improving retrieval processes, controlling access, and maintaining reliable information repositories that enable employees and management to locate accurate information when it is needed.

The course also examines the transition from traditional paper-based records to digital and hybrid information environments. Participants will learn how electronic document management systems, cloud storage, workflow automation, metadata, digital collaboration platforms, artificial intelligence, and information analytics can improve records management. Emphasis is placed on maintaining information integrity, accessibility, authenticity, security, and appropriate governance throughout digital transformation.

Information risks are increasingly complex as organizations face cybersecurity threats, privacy concerns, unauthorized access, data loss, accidental disclosure, ransomware, inappropriate information sharing, and rapidly expanding digital content. The programme therefore addresses practical information security controls, access management, confidentiality, privacy, backup considerations, disaster recovery, business continuity, and responsible handling of sensitive and business-critical records.

Modern records professionals must also understand emerging developments such as artificial intelligence-generated content, automated classification, cloud-based records repositories, remote working, digital signatures, electronic evidence, data privacy expectations, and increasingly sophisticated information governance requirements. Participants will explore how these developments affect records lifecycle management and how organizations can adapt policies and procedures to maintain reliable and trustworthy information environments.

By completing the Records and Information Management Training Course, participants will be better prepared to establish effective records systems, improve information accessibility, strengthen compliance and security, reduce information-related risks, and support organizational continuity. The programme provides practical approaches for managing information as a valuable organizational resource while promoting accountability, operational efficiency, knowledge preservation, and continuous improvement.

Duration

5 days

Who Should Attend

• Records management officers responsible for organizing, controlling, maintaining, and preserving organizational records.

• Information management professionals responsible for developing and implementing information governance systems and procedures.

• Document control officers managing organizational documents, versions, approvals, distribution, and controlled information.

• Archivists and archive personnel involved in the preservation, appraisal, retrieval, and long-term management of organizational records.

• Administrative professionals responsible for filing systems, correspondence, documentation, information storage, and office records.

• Knowledge management professionals seeking stronger capabilities in information organization, accessibility, preservation, and governance.

• Compliance and risk professionals involved in records retention, regulatory requirements, information controls, and organizational accountability.

• Legal and corporate governance professionals handling evidence, contracts, official records, sensitive information, and regulatory documentation.

• IT professionals supporting electronic document management systems, digital repositories, information security, and records technologies.

• Data protection and privacy professionals responsible for safeguarding personal and confidential information.

• Quality management professionals maintaining controlled documentation, procedures, records, audits, and compliance evidence.

• Project managers and project administrators responsible for managing project documentation, records, approvals, and information repositories.

• Office managers and administrative managers responsible for organizational filing systems and information management processes.

• Professionals transitioning into records management, information governance, document control, or archival management positions.

• Managers and supervisors seeking to improve information governance, records compliance, document accessibility, and organizational knowledge management.

Course Objectives

• Develop comprehensive knowledge of records and information management principles, lifecycle practices, governance structures, and organizational information requirements.

• Strengthen participants’ ability to design effective classification, indexing, filing, metadata, storage, retrieval, retention, and disposal systems for organizational records.

• Equip participants with practical techniques for managing physical, electronic, digital, and hybrid records throughout their complete information lifecycle.

• Build capabilities for establishing appropriate controls that protect records from unauthorized access, alteration, loss, accidental disclosure, damage, and inappropriate disposal.

• Enable participants to improve information accessibility and retrieval through structured repositories, metadata standards, search techniques, document controls, and effective filing procedures.

• Enhance understanding of records retention, legal holds, compliance requirements, information governance, privacy considerations, and defensible records disposal practices.

• Develop practical skills for implementing and managing electronic document and records management systems within increasingly digital organizational environments.

• Strengthen participants’ ability to address emerging information challenges involving artificial intelligence, cloud storage, remote working, cybersecurity, automation, and digital content proliferation.

• Improve participants’ capacity to support business continuity, disaster recovery, information preservation, operational resilience, and organizational knowledge protection through effective records management.

• Prepare participants to establish sustainable records and information management practices that improve efficiency, accountability, compliance, security, decision-making, and long-term organizational value.

Comprehensive Course Outline

Module 1: Fundamentals of Records and Information Management

• Understanding the strategic importance of records and information management in organizational accountability, operational efficiency, compliance, knowledge preservation, and decision-making.

• Defining records, documents, information, data, archives, official records, business records, vital records, and other information assets within organizational environments.

• Examining the records lifecycle from creation and capture through classification, storage, use, retention, preservation, and authorized final disposition.

• Establishing records management responsibilities, governance structures, policies, procedures, standards, controls, and accountability across departments and organizational functions.

Module 2: Records Classification, Filing and Indexing Systems

• Designing logical classification schemes that enable consistent organization, identification, storage, retrieval, control, and management of organizational records.

• Developing effective filing systems for physical, electronic, and hybrid records while considering organizational structures, business functions, processes, and information requirements.

• Applying indexing, naming conventions, metadata, tagging, numbering, and reference structures to improve information discovery and retrieval efficiency.

• Identifying common filing problems such as duplication, inconsistent naming, misfiling, uncontrolled copies, incomplete records, and poorly structured information repositories.

Module 3: Electronic Document and Records Management

• Understanding the principles and functionality of electronic document and records management systems used to capture, organize, control, retrieve, retain, and dispose of digital information.

• Managing document versions, approvals, access permissions, workflows, metadata, audit trails, electronic signatures, and controlled distribution within digital environments.

• Developing effective practices for migrating paper records into digital formats while maintaining authenticity, integrity, accessibility, usability, and appropriate documentation.

• Evaluating cloud-based repositories, collaboration platforms, digital archives, and emerging information technologies for secure and efficient records management.

Module 4: Records Retention, Appraisal and Disposition

• Developing records retention schedules based on business requirements, legal obligations, operational value, historical significance, risk considerations, and organizational policies.

• Applying appraisal principles to determine which records should be retained, transferred, preserved permanently, or disposed of through authorized procedures.

• Establishing controlled disposal processes that provide appropriate approvals, documentation, auditability, confidentiality, and evidence of authorized records destruction.

• Managing legal holds, investigations, audits, disputes, and other circumstances that require records to be preserved beyond normal retention periods.

Module 5: Information Governance, Compliance and Privacy

• Establishing information governance frameworks that define ownership, accountability, access rights, policies, standards, controls, responsibilities, and organizational information requirements.

• Understanding privacy and data protection considerations when collecting, storing, accessing, sharing, retaining, and disposing of personal or sensitive information.

• Supporting regulatory and organizational compliance through reliable records, documented procedures, retention controls, audit trails, evidence management, and effective information oversight.

• Developing governance practices that balance information accessibility with confidentiality, privacy, security, legal requirements, operational needs, and responsible information use.

Module 6: Information Security, Risk and Business Continuity

• Identifying information risks involving unauthorized access, cyberattacks, data loss, accidental deletion, inappropriate disclosure, physical damage, and technology failures.

• Applying access controls, authentication practices, permissions, secure storage, backup procedures, monitoring, incident reporting, and other safeguards for important organizational information.

• Developing records and information continuity measures that support organizational resilience during emergencies, system failures, disasters, cyber incidents, and operational disruptions.

• Addressing emerging risks including ransomware, phishing, remote access vulnerabilities, cloud security concerns, artificial intelligence misuse, and uncontrolled digital information sharing.

Module 7: Archives, Preservation and Vital Records Management

• Understanding archival principles for identifying, preserving, organizing, describing, protecting, and providing appropriate access to records with enduring organizational or historical value.

• Developing preservation strategies for physical and digital records that consider environmental conditions, media deterioration, technology obsolescence, format migration, and long-term accessibility.

• Identifying vital records that are essential for legal, financial, operational, governance, or continuity purposes and establishing appropriate protection and recovery arrangements.

• Managing archival repositories through appropriate environmental controls, access procedures, inventories, preservation documentation, security measures, and retrieval systems.

Module 8: Digital Transformation, Automation and Artificial Intelligence

• Examining how digital transformation, automation, artificial intelligence, cloud platforms, and machine-assisted classification are changing modern records and information management.

• Applying automation to records capture, classification, indexing, metadata creation, workflow routing, retention monitoring, and information retrieval while maintaining appropriate oversight.

• Assessing risks associated with AI-generated content, automated decisions, inaccurate metadata, information authenticity, algorithmic classification, data privacy, and uncontrolled digital records.

• Developing responsible approaches to emerging technologies that preserve information integrity, accountability, transparency, security, human oversight, and organizational governance.

Module 9: Remote Work, Information Sharing and Emerging Issues

• Managing records and information effectively within remote and hybrid working environments where employees access, create, share, and store information across multiple locations and platforms.

• Establishing appropriate controls for collaboration tools, mobile devices, messaging applications, personal storage, cloud services, remote access, and distributed information repositories.

• Addressing information sprawl caused by duplicated files, uncontrolled versions, informal communication channels, excessive digital content, and fragmented storage environments.

• Examining emerging issues including digital evidence, electronic discovery, information sovereignty, cybersecurity, privacy expectations, AI adoption, and evolving organizational information governance requirements.

Module 10: Records Performance, Auditing and Continuous Improvement

• Establishing meaningful records management KPIs covering classification accuracy, retrieval efficiency, retention compliance, disposal performance, system usage, security, and information quality.

• Conducting records audits, inventories, compliance reviews, process assessments, repository evaluations, and risk assessments to identify weaknesses and improvement opportunities.

• Developing management reports and performance dashboards that provide clear visibility into records volumes, retention activities, information risks, compliance status, and operational performance.

• Applying continuous improvement practices to simplify records processes, strengthen controls, improve user adoption, reduce information risks, and increase the strategic value of organizational information.

Training Approach

This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.

Tailor-Made Course

This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com Tel: +254 721 331 808

Training Venue 

The training will be held at our Upskill Training Centre. We also offer training for a group (at a discount of 10% to 50%) at requested location all over the world. The Onsite course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, buffet lunch, airport transfers, Upskill gift package, and guided tour.

Visa application, travel expenses, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant

Certification

Participants will be issued with Upskill certificate upon completion of this course.

Airport Pickup and Accommodation

Airport pickup and accommodation is arranged upon request. For booking contact our Training Coordinator through Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com, +254 721 331 808

Terms of Payment:

Unless otherwise agreed between the two parties’ payment of the course fee should be done 3 working days before commencement of the training so as to enable us to prepare better.