29 Jan Totara V20: Ushering in the Era of the Skills-Based Organisation
Totara’s latest release, Version 20 (V20), signals a major evolution in how organisations approach learning, performance, and talent development. Building on its flexible learning suite, V20 introduces a powerful shift toward skills-based development, enhanced AI-driven efficiency, and a deeper commitment to compliance and data integrity.
As a Totara Platinum Partner, Accipio plays a leading role in bringing these advanced updates to life, ensuring our clients benefit from robust, personalised learning experiences.
Totara V20 Moves From Competencies to Skills: The Foundation of a Modern Workforce
The most notable strategic change in Totara V20 is the pivot from ‘competencies’ to ‘skills’ – a move that reflects how organisations now think about capability building.
- Team Skill Proficiency Block: Managers get a quick, visual snapshot of team strengths and gaps directly from the dashboard, making performance conversations more targeted and data-driven.
- Skill Rating by Audience: Especially valuable for regulated sectors such as healthcare, this feature allows designated groups (like supervisors) to observe and rate the skills of others.
- Skill Proficiency Audiences: Learners can now be automatically grouped by skill level, simplifying targeted training assignments and career development initiatives.
Together, these tools help organisations shift from static competency models to living skill ecosystems that evolve with workforce needs.
Advanced Compliance and Recertification
Totara V20 dramatically strengthens its compliance engine to handle complex, real-world certification cycles.
- Multi-year Pathways: A single certification can now manage different renewal and expiry rules, enabling far greater flexibility in determining compliance logic.
- Compliance Insights Block: Managers gain instant, visual access to team certification statuses making it much easier to report on compliance status
- Learner Self-Enrolment: Learners can discover and enrol in required certifications themselves, cutting administration time and promoting personal accountability.
These features make compliance not just more automated, but also more transparent and learner-friendly.
AI Becomes Standard in Totara V20
After debuting in Totara T19.1, native Artificial Intelligence features are now fully integrated into the Totara LMS platform. This release turns AI into a practical productivity ally for learning and development teams.
- AI Writing and Image Assistants: Create polished course descriptions or generate bespoke images right inside the Weka editor.
- AI Knowledge Check-ins: Turn a training document into an instant quiz to check understanding.
- AI SMART Goal Assistant: Helps learners craft structured, actionable goals within Totara Perform.
Together, these tools streamline content creation and save trainers hours of manual effort.
Administrative Efficiency and UX Improvements
Totara V20 places a heavy emphasis on reducing admin load and improving the overall user experience.
- Audience Change Previews show exactly who will be added or removed before updates go live.
- Background Report Exporting ensures that large reports process behind the scenes, freeing up admin time.
- User Status Visibility makes it easy to identify active or suspended accounts at a glance.
- Digital Attendance Check-in through QR codes or secure links removes the need for manual attendance tracking.
Every improvement in this area points to one goal…simpler, smarter administration.
Security and Technical Enhancements
The Totara V20 update also brings stronger security and integration capabilities.
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Organisations can define group-specific MFA rules to protect sensitive data.
- New APIs and Webhooks: Totara can now push updates to external systems in real time, improving data flow between platforms.
- Mobile App Syncing: Users can control how and when their data syncs…perfect for off-line or low-connectivity environments.
These updates make the Totara LMS not only more secure but also far more connected to wider digital ecosystems.
Performance Data Privacy: Smarter Role-Based Controls
Finally, Totara V20 enhances data governance in Totara Perform. Admins can now automate access removal when an employee changes roles or managers, ensuring privacy is always maintained.
With Totara V20, the platform continues its evolution from an LMS into a truly integrated talent experience platform, one designed for organisations ready to make the leap into a skills-based future.
Extend Your Platform with Accipio One
Beyond Totara’s core capabilities, Accipio One offers the world’s most advanced ecosystem of plugins for Moodle and Totara. Our award-winning solutions solve real-world challenges, including:
- Monetising your learning site
- Apprenticeship and training management
- Advanced diagnostics and grading (IV/EV)
- Personalised learning experiences
With Accipio, you don’t just get a learning platform – you get a future-ready, fully optimised solution designed to maximise engagement and efficiency.
Excited about what Totara V20 can do for you?
Accipio’s team of experts is here to help you leverage the latest Totara innovations. Contact us today to discover how we can transform your learning strategy.
Explore more: