Continuing Training Program — Framework (v0.1)

Prepared by: Will Frank Date: 2026-05-19 Status: v0.1 — structural framework, not a curriculum. Curriculum design is a separate work stream that should follow Franchisee Training Program finalization.

This document specifies the framework for the Continuing Training Program contemplated by Operations Manual §8.4 and required to be disclosed in FDD Item 11 alongside the Franchisee Training Program. It defines the structure (audience, cadence, topics, format, certification, failure handling, Item 11 disclosure). It does not draft specific continuing-training modules.

The Franchisee Training Program is the operator-readiness curriculum. The Continuing Training Program is the operator-currency curriculum — designed to keep franchisees and their teams aligned with HiON System evolution, Manual updates, FDD updates, industry developments, and lessons learned from operations.

---

1. Audience and scope

Per Manual §8.4, the Continuing Training Program applies to:

• The Designated Business Manager (mandatory recertification).
• Other HiON-designated personnel named by the Franchisor (mandatory completion).
• New hires joining the Franchisee’s team (mandatory role-specific training before unsupervised work).

The active owners of the Franchisee entity may participate at their discretion; specific modules may be designated mandatory for active owners on a case-by-case basis (e.g., a major FA amendment, a significant industry-impact event).

2. Triggering events and cadence

Continuing-training requirements activate on four distinct triggers:

Trigger	Cadence	Mandatory for
Annual recertification cycle. A scheduled annual sweep of currency requirements.	Once per calendar year, completion window of 60 calendar days.	DBM, HiON-designated personnel
Manual update event. Triggered by any Operations Manual update that is not labeled “minor/clarifying” by the Franchisor.	Within 30 calendar days of the Manual update effective date (Manual §1.4 default; immediate for safety/regulatory/network-integrity updates).	DBM, HiON-designated personnel; sometimes active owners depending on update scope
FA / FDD amendment event. Triggered by a material amendment to the Franchise Agreement, Master Services Agreement, or the franchisor’s FDD that affects franchisee obligations.	Within 60 calendar days of amendment effective date.	DBM, active owners, HiON-designated personnel
New-hire onboarding. Triggered by a new hire joining the Franchisee’s team in a role requiring training.	Before the new hire performs unsupervised work on the HiON EV Franchise (Manual §8.4 MANDATORY).	The new hire

These triggers are independent — multiple may be active simultaneously. The Partner Portal training log records each trainee’s status against every active requirement.

A fifth trigger — incident-driven training — is reserved for cases where HiON, following a SEV 1/2 incident or a compliance finding, directs a Franchisee to complete targeted re-training for the responsible personnel. Treated as a corrective action under §3.4 escalation rather than a routine continuing-training event.

3. Topic taxonomy

Continuing-training modules fall into five topic categories. Each category answers a different operator-currency question.

Category	What it covers	Typical cadence
C1. Manual currency.	Changes to specific Manual sections since the trainee’s last completion. Module length scales with update size.	Manual update event trigger
C2. FA / FDD / MSA currency.	Material amendments to the Franchise Agreement, Master Services Agreement, or FDD affecting franchisee obligations.	Amendment event trigger
C3. System and equipment evolution.	New EV Charging Equipment generations, Tesla Supercharger network protocol changes, new connector/standard support, Tesla mobile application updates affecting driver flow.	Annual + event-triggered
C4. Compliance, safety, and risk currency.	Regulatory developments (federal, state, AHJ), insurance market changes, audit findings aggregated across the franchise system, incident learnings.	Annual + event-triggered
C5. Customer experience and brand currency.	Voice Playbook updates, brand asset refreshes, driver expectation shifts, new launch playbook elements.	Annual

The annual recertification cycle bundles current modules across C3, C4, and C5 into a single annual program of approximately 6–8 hours total, designed for completion in two half-day Partner Portal sessions or one in-person workshop at an annual HiON convention if convened.

4. Delivery format

Continuing Training is primarily delivered through the Partner Portal as self-paced modules with embedded assessments, supplemented by HiON-convened live sessions for major events.

4.1 Partner Portal modules (default format)

Each continuing-training module follows a compressed version of the Franchisee Training Program module template:

• Pre-work reading (10–30 minutes typically)
• Recorded video or interactive walkthrough of the substantive change
• Knowledge check (5–10 questions, 80% pass, one retake)
• Where the change involves a procedure or judgment: a short application demonstration scored against the same four-criterion rubric used in Franchisee Training (see Assessment-Format.md §3)

4.2 Live HiON-convened sessions (event format)

For changes the Franchisor determines require live delivery — major FA amendments, significant Manual reorganizations, major equipment-generation transitions — HiON convenes a live session. Format:

• 1–4 hours, scheduled at least 30 calendar days in advance through the Partner Portal
• In-person at the HiON training location, virtual, or hybrid at Franchisor’s discretion
• Attendance recorded; assessment delivered via Partner Portal within 5 Business Days of the session

4.3 Annual convention (Manual §8.4 contemplated event)

Manual §8.4 contemplates an annual or convention-style meeting that the Franchisor may require franchisee personnel to attend. The Franchisee is responsible for travel, lodging, and incidentals; HiON does not charge a separate attendance fee unless disclosed in writing in advance.

When held, the annual convention is the natural delivery vehicle for that year’s C3–C5 annual recertification content. Attendance + on-site assessment completion satisfies that year’s annual recertification requirement.

5. Certification and recertification

5.1 DBM annual recertification

The Designated Business Manager’s certification renews annually. Renewal requires:

• Completion of every continuing-training module the Franchisor published during the recertification window
• Pass on each module’s knowledge check (and application demonstration where applicable)
• A current attendance record at the annual convention (when convened) or completion of the convention-equivalent Partner Portal modules

Lapse of recertification is a Manual §8.4 [MANDATORY] violation and is subject to the §3.4 escalation ladder. Operationally, lapse may also trigger a §3.3 field audit prioritization.

5.2 Major Manual version recertification

When the Franchisor publishes a major Manual version (e.g., v1.0 → v2.0), all DBMs must complete a system-wide recertification within 90 calendar days, covering the full delta from the prior major version. This is a heavier event than the annual recertification and is treated as a Manual update event under Section 2 trigger #2.

5.3 New-hire role certification

Per Manual §8.4 [MANDATORY], a new hire must complete role-specific training before performing unsupervised work. The Partner Portal hosts role-specific tracks. The new hire’s certification is per-role (not transferable across roles within the same Franchisee — a Site Operations Lead promoted to Marketing/Local Growth Lead must complete the Marketing track before performing it unsupervised).

6. Failure handling

The same FBC review process specified in Assessment-Format.md §4 applies to continuing-training failures, with two adjustments:

• First failure on a continuing-training module: trainee re-completes the module content and retakes the knowledge check or demonstration within 10 Business Days. No FBC review required at first failure (lower stakes than Franchisee Training where a failure can block opening).
• Second failure on a continuing-training module: triggers FBC review. Outcomes mirror the Franchisee Training outcomes (targeted remediation + third attempt / full module re-completion / withhold operational privileges associated with the lapsed certification — e.g., the DBM may not authorize §6.4 milestone submittals while their certification is lapsed).

7. Training log and audit posture

The Partner Portal training log (specified in Assessment-Format.md §7) extends to cover continuing-training events:

• Each continuing-training module assignment: date assigned, due date, completion date, score
• Annual recertification status per trainee: current / due / lapsed
• Major Manual version recertification status
• New-hire role certifications: which roles each individual is currently certified for

Per Manual §3.3.2 field audits and §8.4, this log is the first artifact requested in any field audit covering training compliance. The Franchisee must produce it within 1 Business Day of an audit request.

8. FDD Item 11 disclosure scope

FDD Item 11 typically discloses both Franchisee Training and Continuing Training programs. The Item 11 Continuing Training disclosure should cover:

• The categories of continuing-training requirements (annual recertification, Manual update events, FA/FDD amendment events, new-hire training, incident-driven training)
• The franchisee’s obligations (mandatory completion within published windows; maintenance of training records; attendance at HiON-convened annual or convention-style meetings if required)
• The franchisee’s costs (travel/lodging/incidentals for live sessions and annual convention; Partner Portal access is included in the System; no separate per-module fee unless disclosed in advance)
• The franchisor’s reserved rights (to publish new continuing-training requirements from time to time; to require attendance at HiON-convened meetings; to update content; to set deadlines)
• Pass criteria language paralleling the Franchisee Training criteria

Counsel will draft the actual Item 11 Continuing Training language. This framework supplies the substantive content; the same Item-11-Input-for-Counsel.md companion document pattern applies once continuing-training modules begin to be drafted.

9. What this framework does NOT yet specify

These items are out of scope for v0.1 and need separate work:

1. Specific continuing-training modules. The framework defines the structure; modules themselves need to be drafted as the Manual evolves and as events trigger them. A first-cut C3/C4/C5 annual recertification module set is the natural first deliverable once Franchisee Training v1.0 is locked.
2. Annual convention design. Whether HiON convenes a convention at all, where, and what its content looks like is a Jim Frank / Joe Lewis decision.
3. Partner Portal continuing-training platform specification. Module hosting, completion tracking, certification renewal workflow, and audit-export are Partner Portal product decisions.
4. Continuing training for owners (vs. DBMs). Manual §8.4 makes continuing training mandatory for “Designated Business Manager and other personnel we designate.” Owners are not named. Whether owners have a parallel currency requirement, particularly for FA/FDD amendment events that affect their personal obligations, is a Jim Frank + counsel decision.
5. Train-the-Trainer cascade. Continuing training for the Franchisee’s internal training of their operational employees (Site Operations Lead, Marketing Lead, Finance Lead) is out of scope for both this framework and the Franchisee Training rebuild. Flagged as future work consistent with the Franchisee Training rebuild’s own scope decision (01_Outline.md §“Role-tier handling”).