With Version 20, Totara delivers a release that goes well beyond incremental feature improvements. The update clearly targets long-term governance, scalable compliance management, structured skill development, and operational efficiency—key challenges faced by modern learning and development organizations.
Rather than introducing isolated functionalities, Totara 20 strengthens the platform’s role as a strategic learning ecosystem that supports organizational development over time.
Long-Term Certification Management: Structuring Compliance Over Multiple Years
Skills and Competency Development: From Administration to Strategy
Security and Governance: Expanded Multi-Factor Authentication
Improved Content Discovery: Search, Catalog, and Recommendations
One of the most significant enhancements in Totara Version 20 is the introduction of multi-year recertification capabilities. Organizations can now design certification frameworks that reflect real-world regulatory and operational requirements.
This includes the ability to:
define complex certification cycles spanning multiple years
configure different renewal and expiry rules
create distinct certification paths based on role, qualification, or regulatory context
As a result, compliance management becomes more predictable, transparent, and scalable—particularly relevant for industries with strict regulatory obligations such as manufacturing, energy, healthcare, or finance.
To complement the extended certification logic, Totara 20 introduces a dedicated Certification Compliance reporting block. This provides real-time visibility into certification status directly within dashboards.
Key benefits include:
faster access to compliance insights
reduced reliance on manual reporting processes
clearer decision-making for managers and stakeholders
Compliance data becomes operationally accessible rather than locked away in periodic reports.
Totara Version 20 expands learner autonomy through optional self-enrolment for programs and certifications via the learning catalog.
When enabled, this functionality:
supports self-directed learning
reduces administrative workload
increases visibility of structured learning pathways
At the same time, governance remains intact, as enrolment rules can be controlled and restricted according to organizational policies.
The skills framework in Totara continues to mature with Version 20. The focus shifts from static competency tracking toward actionable skill insights and development planning.
New and enhanced capabilities include:
team-level skill proficiency reporting
improved identification of skill gaps
audience definitions based on skill proficiency levels
These improvements enable organizations to use skills data as a foundation for workforce planning, targeted learning initiatives, and long-term capability development.
The AI features introduced in earlier releases are fully integrated and stabilized in Totara Version 20. These include:
AI-assisted content writing
automated image generation
knowledge check-ins generated from existing content
support for defining structured, measurable development goals
Rather than replacing instructional design or strategic decision-making, these tools primarily support efficiency, consistency, and quality—particularly valuable for L&D teams managing growing content portfolios.
Read more in our blog article on Totara version 19.1 - https://blog.learnchamp.com/en/whats-new-in-totara-19.1
Security remains a key consideration in enterprise learning platforms. Totara 20 enhances multi-factor authentication (MFA) by allowing more granular configuration based on user groups.
This provides organizations with greater control over access management and supports compliance with internal IT and security governance standards.
Many of the improvements in Totara Version 20 focus on everyday administrative efficiency, including:
preview functionality for audience changes
clearer visibility of user status information
background report exports
mandatory date and time fields to improve data quality
While individually small, these enhancements significantly reduce friction in day-to-day LMS administration.
User experience improvements in Totara 20 make learning content easier to discover and navigate. Enhancements include:
smarter search behavior with improved relevance
optimized catalog filtering
better content recommendations
These changes help ensure that learning resources are not only available but actually used.
Totara Version 20 extends offline synchronization options in the mobile app and expands available APIs and webhooks. This supports:
mobile learning for non-desk-based workforces
tighter integration with HR, ERP, and BI systems
real-time data exchange across platforms
The result is a more connected and flexible learning infrastructure.
Totara Version 20 represents a strategic evolution of the platform. The release emphasizes:
structured, long-term compliance management
data-driven skill development
operational efficiency for L&D teams
stronger integration into enterprise system landscapes
Rather than focusing on isolated features, Totara continues to position itself as a scalable learning ecosystem designed to support organizational development in complex environments.
The new features of Totara Version 20 can be explored in a live demo. Contact us for further information.