OKANAGAN COLLEGE & BCGEU SUPPORT STAFF DEVELOPMENT (Professional Development) TERMS OF REFERENCE

Transcription

1 OKANAGAN COLLEGE & BCGEU SUPPORT STAFF DEVELOPMENT (Professional Development) TERMS OF REFERENCE Effective April 1, INTRODUCTION In accordance with the Collective Agreement between Okanagan College and the BCGEU Support Staff Union and the provisions of Article 58, the following outlines the Terms of Reference for the Support Staff Professional Development (PD) Committee. 2. ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES a) Regular employees (excluding employees on leave without pay) with a full-time, part-time or sessional appointment with one year of accumulated service (1,820 hours) are eligible to apply. b) Funding for employees that hold appointments in more than one employee group and are eligible for funding from another employee group will be prorated based on the percentage of the appointment that is within the Support Staff group. c) For employees planning on retiring, PD activities must be completed at least 6 months prior to last working day. 3. CRITERIA FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (PD) ACTIVITIES Courses that are part of a diploma, certificate or degree program and courses, seminars, workshops and conferences intended to assist employees in maintaining and improving knowledge and skills relative to the employees responsibilities or to their career development at Okanagan College. The activity does not need to be directly tied to the applicant s current role or jobs within the Support Staff bargaining unit as the PD funds are also intended to support future career growth at Okanagan College. All activities must be provided for by a service provider that is in the business of supporting career related training or upgrading, or a service provider that is in the business of educating. 4. FUNDED a) PD Applications i. A maximum of $ per eligible employee per fiscal year (April 1 to March 31). i Refer to #3 Criteria for PD activities. Reimbursement will be based on actual expenses. b) Special Funding Applications Page 1 of 5

2 i. Applications received as of March 22, 2017 will be reviewed under the previous terms of reference. c) Leave Requests i. The Committee approves funding only Requests for leave must be obtained through normal channels. In accordance with Article of the Collective Agreement, employees may be granted PD leave upon approval of Okanagan College to a maximum of 140 working hours in each fiscal year (20 working days). 5. NOT FUNDED a) The PD fund will not be utilized for the purposes of employees attending a course or program at the sole request of a supervisor or for any course or training needed to meet the minimum requirements for the current position. Refer to 58.1 (b) of the Collective Agreement. b) General interest courses which are not relevant to assisting employees in maintaining and improving knowledge and skills relative to the employees responsibilities or to their career development at Okanagan College. 6. FUNDING AND EXPENSES a) A maximum of $ per eligible employee per fiscal year (April 1 to March 31). b) The start date of the activity will determine which fiscal years allocation the course will be charged against. c) For each fiscal year, the PD Fund will be split so that half is reserved for applications for PD activities occurring between April 1 and September 30 and half the fund for October 1 to March 31. Any amount unused in the first half will be carried over to the second half. d) Any unused funds at the end of the fiscal year will be carried over to the new fiscal year. e) Allowable expenses must be submitted within two (2) weeks following the PD activity. Failure to submit expense claims within the timeframe may result in future requests being declined and may result in expense claims not being processed. f) Expenses covered will be in this order of priority: i. Registration fees and textbooks i Travel (if course not available within the Okanagan College region) Mileage (if more than 30 kms. from place of employment) Accommodation and meals v. Other (e.g. parking, taxi) g) Expenses not covered: Page 2 of 5

3 i. Photocopying i Personal computer costs (e.g. computer equipment and software) and miscellaneous office supplies Dues or fees for membership in an organization, association or professional society Any other expenses that are not directly related to the PD activity are at the discretion of the committee 7. APPLICATIONS a) PD Application forms will be submitted with detailed information about the course and other relevant information to the PD Committee Administrative Chairperson. Refer to Article 58.4 of the Collective Agreement. b) The Committee approves funding for PD activities. Requests for leave to undertake an activity are approved by the designated supervisor. c) Applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis. d) Applications submitted late for expenses related to Okanagan College courses will be considered only if a copy of the tuition waiver form is included with the application and the late submission is submitted within the current fiscal year. e) Applications must be submitted a minimum of 30 days prior to the activity in order to provide ample time for the Committee to review and approve the request. f) Applications for funding will not be considered retroactively unless there are extenuating circumstances. 8. OC REGISTRATION a) Employees who wish to ensure registration in OC courses and who do not wish to wait for late registration may apply through the Committee for funds. b) Employees may not use the previously approved funding for another purpose. c) Employees must return the funding if they do not attend the activity. Under extenuating circumstances, such as illness, injury, or accident, this provision may be waived by the Committee. 9. COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP a) The Committee is comprised of two representatives named by OC and two regular support staff representatives (with a minimum of 1 year/1820 hours service) appointed by the BCGEU Bargaining Unit Chairperson. In situations where a Committee member from OC is unable to perform the roles/responsibilities (due to vacation, sick or other leave), a JUMC Committee member from OC will be an alternate. In situations where a Committee member from the Support Staff Union is unable to perform the roles/responsibilities (due to vacation, sick or other leave) a JUMC Committee member from the Support Staff Union will be an alternate. Page 3 of 5

4 b) The term of appointment for the members of the Committee will normally be two years commencing on April 1st in any given year. Where possible, and in order to provide continuity, the terms of these members will commence in alternate years. Members will be eligible for reappointment. c) Roles and Responsibilities of the PD Committee: i. Ensure that decisions are made in accordance with the terms of reference and the collective agreement. i The Committee shall attempt to make decisions through consensus. Where consensus cannot be reached, a simple majority (3 votes) of the committee will be enough. Applications that do not achieve consensus or majority votes will be refused funding. d) Roles and Responsibilities of the PD Committee Administrative Chairperson 10. REPORTS Page 4 of 5 i. Refer to Attachment #1 Role of the Administrative Chairperson. a) Financial Services prepares monthly and fiscal year-end reports containing the name, department, amount granted and a brief description of the activity undertaken by each person during the year. b) Recipients of funds are not required to submit an activity report to the Committee for each funded activity. Reports may occasionally be required in order to provide the Committee with information that will be used to determine the eligibility of future applications for participation in a specific course. Reports will also help the Committee to assess the value of the service provider. c) Any remaining balance in the PD fund will be carried forward to the next fiscal year. Individual PD allocations are not carried forward to the next fiscal year. 11. TERMS OF REFERENCE i a) The revised PD funding allocations will be trialed between April 1, 2017 to March 31, Before the end of the fiscal year , the Committee will jointly survey the Support Staff membership for feedback on the new design/funding allocations. The Committee will then review and update the Terms of Reference as required. It is agreed that a minimum of 30% of the membership must access the fund annually for the new design to be considered a success. b) Terms of Reference will be referred to the JUMC as an information item. Any areas of concern identified by JUMC will be referred back to the Committee. 12. DISPUTES AND APPEALS a) If the Committee members disagree with substantive issues in the adjudication process/decisions, and the disagreement cannot be resolved internally, then the Committee shall refer the issue to JUMC for a final resolution. JUMC will not intervene in the approval of individual PD applications unless there is a substantive issue associated with it.

5 b) If an applicant wishes to appeal the decision for PD funding by the Committee, they can do so to the PD Committee, providing additional information if required. i These Terms of Reference agreed to at the JUMC meeting on April 16, 2018 (as reflected in the minutes of the meeting) Page 5 of 5

6 ATTACHMENT #1 OKANAGAN COLLEGE & BCGEU SUPPORT STAFF DEVELOPMENT (Professional Development) ROLE OF THE COMMITTEE ADMINISTRATIVE CHAIRPERSON Effective April 2017 The Professional Development Committee will be supported by an Administrative Chairperson. This position will provide administrative support duties for the processing of PD applications. The Administrative Chairperson does not have a voting role on the Committee but rather assists the applicants and the Committee members to effectively process the applications and supports communications to all involved. 1. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (PD) APPLICATIONS a) Collect all PD applications i. If received by interoffice mail date stamp If received by print off including attachment date stamp b) Review all applications before sending to the PD Committee i. Review for employee eligibility to apply Review for missing information which can include but not limited to: Date of PD event Literature describing event the applicant is attending Benefit statement missing Employee s signature missing Supervisor s signature missing Incorrect addition in funding request If requesting an advance supervisor s signature missing c) Prepare to send all PD Applications to the Committee i. Scan all documents i Advise the Committee whether applicants are eligible Advise how much the applicant is requesting and how much the applicant is eligible to spend Page 1 of 4

7 ATTACHMENT #1 Await responses from committee members as to whether they approve, decline or request further information (e.g. stronger benefit statement) d) Request additional information i. applicant requesting additional information i When information is received from applicant, send back to the Committee Committee will advise if they approve or decline Correspondence is attached to the application e) Approved applications i. Advise applicant they are approved i Provide applicant with a signed copy of the PD application c.c. the Supervisor Correspondence from committee members is attached to the PD application v. is then saved as a msg. document on the shared Finance/HR network drive under Support Staff Professional Development Financial Services now has access to all PD applications that have been approved Financial Services takes that information and transfers the information to their Excel spreadsheet vi. If a travel advance is requested, Finance is notified by giving them the original copy of the approved PD application f) Declined applications i. Advise applicant(s) they have been declined and provide a reason why (refer to notes from the Committee) Correspondence from the Committee is attached to the PD application 2. Reports a) The Administrative Chairperson checks the monthly financial report for accuracy of information that has been input by Financial Services. Once verified, this report is forwarded to the Committee. b) A monthly support staff PD eligibility listing is prepared by the Administrative Chairperson and forwarded to the Committee. c) The Administrative Chairperson checks the year-end financial report for accuracy of information that has been input by Financial Services. Once verified, this report is forwarded to the Committee. Page 2 of 4

8 ATTACHMENT #1 3. Expense Claims a) Expense claims are to be completed within 2 weeks of the completion of the PD event b) Not all employees get their expense claims in on time, therefore i. The Administrative Chairperson follows up with the applicant to submit their expense claim c) When expense claim is received the Administrative Chairperson checks that all expenses claimed are related to PD and that expenses are within the guidelines (e.g. meals etc.) d) If a travel advance has been requested by the applicant, ensure that it is recorded on their expense claim e) As budget manager, the Administrative Chairperson signs the expense claim and forwards to Financial Services for processing f) A copy of the approved application is attached to the expense claim 4. Terms of Reference (excerpt from the terms of reference) i a) The revised PD funding allocations will be trialed over the two-year period of April 1, 2017 to March 31, Before the end of the fiscal year , the Committee will jointly survey the Support Staff membership for feedback on the new design/funding allocations. The Committee will then review and update the Terms of Reference as required. A full review of the Terms of Reference will be done at the end of the two years. It is agreed that a minimum of 30% of the membership must access the fund annually for the new design to be considered a success.. Therefore, i. Before the end of the fiscal year the Administrative Chairperson will provide the Committee with an eligibility listing in order for the joint survey to be conducted. As a minimum of 30% of the membership must access the fund annually for the new design to be considered a success, the Administrative Chairperson will update the sensitivity analysis annually. 5. Standard Operating Timelines for Application Processing Once an application has been received, it will be reviewed for completeness within 2 business days of receipt. a) When considered complete, the application will be forwarded to the Committee members by within 2 business days. b) The Committee members will review the application and respond to the Administrative Chairperson by with an approval or decline decision within 7 business days. c) A request for additional information from an applicant on any application may delay the final response from Committee members. In these situations, the applicant should be notified that any additional information needs to be provided to the Committee within 4 business days. A Page 3 of 4

9 ATTACHMENT #1 Committee decision will be made based on the extra information within 5 business days from the receipt of the additional information. d) Once the decisions from the Committee members have been received by the Administrative Chairperson, he/she will notify the applicant by . All Committee members will be bcc on the approval/declined decision within 2 business days from receiving the last decision from Committee members. e) All decisions that decline an application must be accompanied by reasons for the decline. f) Processing of approved applications regarding advances, expenses, receipts etc. will be conducted in a timely manner according to the needs of the application. It is recognized by all parties that Standard Operating Timelines may have to be adjusted in extraordinary circumstances. i Terms of Reference agreed to at the JUMC meeting on April 16, 2018 (as reflected in the minutes of the meeting) Page 4 of 4