St George's, University of London
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Staff Development and Training Guidelines – Approval for Funding and
Time Off for Training
1.0
St George’s, University of London has a Staff Development Philosophy, Strategy
and Process document which sets out its commitment to staff training and
development. In order to meet these commitments, the Institution and individual
Divisions and Departments must be committed to providing financial support and
time off to individuals and groups to undertake staff development and training
activities.
These guidelines reflect SGUL’s responsibility under Section 63d of the
Employment Rights Act 1996.
2.0
Division/Department Responsibility
Division/departments are responsible for setting aside funds to support members
of staff attending courses and conferences. Examples include:
2.1 all academic conferences
2.2 any programme relating to the specific subject area or profession of a staff
member
2.3 updating relating to subject disciplines and professional skills
Formulation and administration of these budgets is the responsibility of each
division/department. Budget holders should ensure that all members of staff in
the division/department have equitable access to financial support and resources
(e.g. time to attend) for staff development and training activities.
When a member of staff makes a request to their line manager to attend a
specific training or development activity (including those mentioned above) they
must receive a written response within 28 days.
3.0
Central Staff Development Responsibility
The central staff development budget (held by Human Resources) will be used
principally to fund those activities which form part of the in-house staff
development programme and the commitments outlined in SGUL’s Staff
Development Philosophy, Strategy and Process.
4.0
Attendance on the workshops which make up the in-house staff development
programme will normally be free of charge to all members of SGUL staff. A
cancellation fee of £50 will be applied where a member of staff withdraws from an
in-house workshop at late notice or fails to attend on the day.
5.0
Funding will be provided for all staff wishing to attend an approved pre-retirement
course.
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6.0
An in-house programme of IT training and literature search skills is run by the
Library.
The majority of these courses are free of charge to SGUL staff but some carry a
nominal fee.
Where this is the case, it should be funded by the
division/department staff development budget.
7.0
SGUL staff can register for the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) free
of charge. The central staff development budget will be used to fund the log
book fee (£25) and one on-line test per module (a total of 7 tests = £70). If
required, learning materials are available on a CD ROM costing £30. The
division/department staff development budget should be used to fund the cost of
the CD ROM.
8.0
Individuals can apply for funding from the central staff development budget to
meet some of the costs associated with award bearing courses (e.g. Certificate
and Diploma programmes, Post Graduate qualifications). The central staff
development budget will not be used to fund research degrees.
To apply for funding from the central staff development budget, individuals must:
o
o
o
o
o
o
have completed their probationary period
have identified the course as a development need during their Personal
Review (PR)
have the support of their line manager and Head of Division/Department
demonstrate the relevance of the course to their current job
outline how the course links with the Division/Department’s objectives and
SGUL’s strategic plan
complete an Application for Staff Development Funding form at least 6
weeks in advance of the programme/activity start date. Funding will not
be granted in retrospect.
See Application for Staff Development Funding form.
9.0
Where financial support from central funds has been awarded, this will be
granted to a maximum of 75% (or £2,000 whichever is the lesser amount) of the
full cost of the programme. The division/department or individual will be
responsible for contributing the remaining amount.
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The funding is paid directly to the institution running the course, not to the
individual. Where funding has been granted, the individual will be asked to sign a
letter detailing repayment terms. Repayment terms are as follows:
Reason for Leaving
Resignation
Dismissed
under
the
Disciplinary
Procedure
Retirement/Dismissal on the grounds of ill
health
Dismissed on the grounds of redundancy
(for example on the expiry of a fixed term
contract)
Mutual termination of employment under
VS Scheme/Early retirement
Repayment Terms
Repayment of portion of funding
Repayment of portion of funding
Repayment waived
Repayment waived
To be determined through a compromise
agreement
Repayment amounts will depend on the length of the programme of study.
The following guidelines will be used:
Length
Programme
Up to 6
duration
of Details
Example
months Cost of programme is A week long course costs £900. Will be
written off over the duration written off over 3 months i.e. £300 per
of the course plus 3 months month. If an individual leaves in month 1
they will be required to repay £600.
More than 6 months Cost of programme is A year long course costs £2,000. Will be
duration
written off over the duration written off over 18 months i.e. £111 per
of the course plus 6 month. If an individual leaves in month 15
months.
they will be required to repay £333.
10.0
All applications for funding from the central staff development budget will be
replied to within 28 days.
11.0
SGUL is committed to ensuring the central funds are applied fairly and reserves
the right to review the amount of funding given to individuals. Where an
individual has previously received central funding to attend a professional
development course, any subsequent requests may be refused.
12.0
Where an individual has been granted funding, had their course fees paid and
subsequently fails to take up their place on the course, they will be asked to
repay the full amount of funding.
13.0
Where an application for funding is successful and no fees have been paid and
the individual defers the start date of the course, this must be agreed with the
Staff Development Manager. The individual may be required to make another
application for funding.
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14.0
Time off to attend training and development activities, regardless of the funding
source must be agreed with the individual’s line manager, prior to the training
start date.
Members of staff should be allowed paid time off work to undertake job related
short courses and conferences (internal and external).
For longer courses and programmes of study, good practice should allow up to 5
days paid study leave per year (pro rata for part time staff). Additional paid study
leave may be given solely at the discretion of the line manager at the request of
each individual.
15.0
The central staff development budget will not be used to fund travel or
accommodation costs associated with course attendance.
16.0
The central staff development budget will not be used to fund membership of
professional bodies/institutes.
Exemptions include situations when an individual has enrolled on a programme
of study with financial support from the central budget and the fees automatically
include membership of professional bodies, for a specified period of time. In
cases such as this, recurrent membership fees will not be supported.
SGUL has agreed to fund the application fee and registration fee for individual
membership of the Higher Education Academy.
17.0
Members of staff who benefit from funding from the central staff development
budget to undertake award bearing courses may be asked to write an evaluation
report.
April 2002/June 2004/May 2005/Oct 2005/Feb 2006/Sept 2006/Sept 2007/Aug 2008/Oct 2009/March
2010/Sept 2010
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