An onboarding template is the reusable plan for a role or contract. Each new [Employee Onboarding](/hrms/onboarding/employee-onboarding) copies its activities, documents, courses, and portal sections.

Open **Employee Lifecycle**, then **Onboarding Template**.

## Create a template

1. Choose **New Onboarding Template**.
2. On **Details**, enter **Title**. This is required.
3. Set **Type** to **Onboarding** or **Offboarding**, and set **Type of Contract** to **Seasonal**, **Permanent**, or **Contractor** when this plan is only for that contract.
4. Optional: **Department**, **Designation**, **Employee portal language**, and **Description**. Leave **Active** checked so the template can be chosen on a new hire.
5. Choose **Create Onboarding Template**.

You should see the title, status **Active** or **Inactive**, and **Onboarding Template created**. Later edits use **Save** and should show **Changes saved**.

## Activities

1. Open **Activities**.
2. Choose **Add Row** under **Template Activities**.
3. Enter **Activity Name**, **Role** (**HR User**, **Manager**, or **Employee**), **Required for Employee**, and **Description**.

Those rows become the tasks on the hire’s record when you submit onboarding.

## Documents to collect

1. Open **Documents**.
2. If the list is empty, **Load default documents** fills the usual set: federal tax form, Quebec tax form, photo ID, void cheque, employee handbook, and harassment acknowledgment. Remove any row this hire type does not need.
3. For your own row, choose **Add Row** and set **Document**, **Mandatory**, **Capture**, and **Instructions**.
4. **Capture** is **Upload**, **Signature**, **ID Document**, or **Headshot**. For **Signature**, choose a **Signature Template**. For **ID Document**, set **ID Type** to **Passport**, **Driver License**, **National ID**, or **Either**.
5. Use **Either/Or** and **Either/Or Group** when one document in a group is enough. Those columns are off until you show the advanced columns.

## Portal sections

1. Open **Portal**.
2. If no sections are listed, choose **Load default portal sections**. The defaults are **Personal Information**, **Emergency Contact**, and **Direct Deposit**.
3. Choose **Add Section** for your own block. Set **Section Name**, **Type** (**Form**, **Info**, **Documents**, or **Review**), **Icon**, **Mandatory**, and **Description**.
4. On a form section, **Add Row** under **Fields**. Set **Label**, **Type** (**Text**, **Long Text**, **Date**, **Phone**, **Select**, **Link**, or **Check**), **Options (one per line)** for a select, and **Required**.

**Preview Portal** shows **Onboarding Portal Preview**. The banner says it is a read-only preview. Switch **Desktop** and **Phone**, then **Close**.

## Trainings

When **Trainings** is on your template, open it and add a **Course** or a **Learning path**. Mark **Required** and set **Due (days)**. After the hire submits onboarding, they receive links for this training. If the course list is empty, the page says to create a course in Smooth LMS first.

## If it fails

- Save stops when **Title** is missing. The message starts with **Required:**.
- **Save failed. Your edits are still here.** means nothing new was stored. Correct the form and choose **Save** again.
- A save with no edits says there are no changes.
- **Preview Portal** shows **Preview failed** when the preview cannot load. The template itself is unchanged.
- Sync on a hire’s record keeps uploads and entered values. Change the template first, then on the hire choose **Sync From Template** under **Actions**.

## Next

[Start onboarding](/hrms/onboarding/employee-onboarding) and pick this template.