---
title: "Configure career paths"
slug: "configure-the-career-path-view"
tags: ["How-to", "Totara Skills"]
updated: 2026-10-08T07:25:59Z
published: 2026-10-08T07:25:59Z
canonical: "totara.help/configure-the-career-path-view"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://totara.help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Configure career paths

Site Administrators can configure how career paths are calculated and displayed to users in the [Career path view](/totara-20/docs/what-is-the-career-path-view). This includes the position recommendation limit, the thresholds used to categorise aspirational position match scores, and the underlying algorithm that determines how career path connections between positions are generated.

## Configure career path view settings

The **Career path** view settings control how many positions can be recommended to a user and how the heatmap columns are divided according to skill match score. These settings are configured through JSON-based threshold definitions and a set of [algorithm parameters](/totara-20/docs/configure-the-career-path-view#career-path-algorithm-settings), allowing the organisation to tailor career path recommendations to its own skills framework and hierarchy structure.

To configure the career path view settings, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to *Quick-access menu > Plugins* (/admin/plugins.php).
2. Under **Local plugins**, select **Totara Skills**, then select **General**.
3. In the **Position recommendation limit** field, enter the maximum number of positions that can be recommended to a user. The default value is 20.
4. In the **Thresholds Configuration** field, locate the section beginning with **career_path_thresholds** and edit the JSON configuration to define the column thresholds based on skill match scores. Each threshold defines a separate column in the view.
5. Click **Save changes**.

> [!NOTE]
> By default, thresholds are configured in 10% increments up to a 50% match score, after which 50-100% forms a single group. These can be customised as required.
> 
> 
> 
> Example JSON entry: { "min": 20, "max": 30, "value": "normal" }

| Default match score range | Default label |
| --- | --- |
| 0-10% | Very low |
| 10-20% | Low |
| 20-30% | Normal |
| 30-50% | Good |
| 50-100% | Excellent |

## Configure the career path algorithm

The career path algorithm settings determine how the system calculates career path recommendations, including how connections between positions are formed and how penalties are applied for skills gaps, missing skills, and hierarchy jumps.

To configure the algorithm, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to *Quick-access menu > Plugins* (/admin/plugins.php).
2. In the **Local plugins** section, select **Totara Skills**, then open the **Totara Skills Career Path** section.
3. Configure the [algorithm settings](/totara-20/docs/configure-the-career-path-view#career-path-algorithm-settings) as required.
4. Click **Save changes**.

### Career path algorithm settings

The following settings can be configured to control how career paths are calculated.

| Setting | Description | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Position group lane colours | Position groups, described in [Totara Skills general settings](/totara-20/docs/configure-totara-skills-general-settings), are displayed as lanes in the career path view. This setting defines five colours for the lanes. | Colours repeat in sequence after every five lanes. |
| Career paths number | Defines the maximum number of career paths calculated for each user for each position. | Default: 3 |
| Career path edge mode | Defines how connections between positions are created in the career path graph. | Available options: - **Max new skills (position-to-position)**: A connection is created if the maximum number of new skills between two positions matches the value defined in **Max new skills** - **Minimum coverage (position-to-position):** A connection is created if the minimum coverage between skills assigned to two positions matches the value defined in **Minimum coverage** - **Both minimum coverage and max new skills (position-to-position)**: The default setting. |
| Max new skills | Defines the maximum number of new skills the next position in a path may require for a connection to be created. | Default: 8 |
| Minimum coverage | Defines the minimum percentage of skills from the next position in a path that must already be covered by the previous position for a connection to be created. | Default: 0.2 |
| Max neighbors per position | Defines the maximum number of positions with the most skill coverage that is considered when generating a path. | Default: 30 |
| Max missing skills | Defines the maximum number of missing skills between two positions in a path before the configured penalty is applied. | Default: 10 |
| Importance of gap value | Defines the weight assigned to the skills gap when calculating career path recommendations; a higher value increases the influence of skills-gap difficulty. | Default: 0.7 |
| Penalty value for missing skills | Defines the penalty applied when the number of missing skills exceeds the configured threshold. | Default: 0.1 |
| Penalty value for hierarchy jump | Defines the penalty applied when a career path step skips one or more hierarchy levels. | Default: 0.1 |
| Penalty value for step in different hierarchy | Defines the penalty applied when a career path step moves to a different hierarchy. | Default: 0.1 |

Join the [Totara Community](https://totara.community/) for more resources to help you get the most out of Totara.

© Copyright 2026 Totara Learning Solutions. All rights reserved.