Queen s University Belfast Human Resources, Organisational Development

Transcription

1 Queen s University Belfast Human Resources, Organisational Development Guidelines on Financial Assistance and Support for Staff Undertaking Approved Parttime Courses of Study for 2018/19 1. Introduction This guidance applies to certificates, diplomas, degrees, higher degrees or other professional development courses of study leading to a qualification which are undertaken on a part-time basis. 2. Principles 2.1 The University is committed to developing its staff through the provision of access to appropriate training and development opportunities. This may include supporting staff to pursue an academic or professional qualification on a part-time basis. 2.2 It is recommended that the decision to make an application under these guidelines is taken as part of annual appraisal and ongoing discussions about training and development between an individual staff member and their Senior Manager (e.g. Head of School/Director). 2.3 It is recommended that the Senior Manager considers the application and discusses it with the staff member in relation to skills, knowledge or qualifications required to meet business needs. 2.4 The Senior Manager must also consider and discuss with the staff member implications to workload, time commitment, resources and impact on business/service provided. The individual must carefully consider their ability to meet the requirements of the course of study alongside work and other commitments, and its compatibility with their job-role. 2.5 It is the responsibility of the Senior Manager to ensure that applications are considered consistently within their area of responsibility, linked to the appraisal process and prioritised according to business need. In times of budgetary pressure, Senior Managers should carefully consider the costs/investment being requested and how this will contribute to University objectives such as those outlined in Vision 2020/Corporate Plan. Applications may need to be prioritised depending on available budget. 2.6 Applications should be considered annually before the end of an academic year so that staff can apply for places on courses at the beginning of the following academic year. Organisational Development will publish the application process to staff each year and set a closing date of the end of the academic year to encourage applications to be made. Further applications may be considered throughout the year after the main application period for courses if a valid need arises and enrolment is possible. Financial assistance will be offered depending on eligibility and the available budget at that time for financial assistance offered via Human Resources.

2 3. Eligibility and priority 3.1 As this funding mechanism is often over-subscribed, it may be necessary to prioritise applications for business reasons and taking into account whether centrally available budget can meet requests for financial assistance. Not all applications may be supported. Employees who wish to seek support from the University to undertake a course of study on a part-time basis leading to a qualification should normally be:- (i) (ii) Employed for at least one year before the normal closing date for applications (31 July each year); or Employed for at least one year at the time of application (for applications received after 31 July). This is to ensure that appropriate time is given to complete an initial induction period, undertake appropriate mandatory and internal training and engage with the probation and appraisal processes before applying for funding for part-time courses of study. Considerations for prioritising applications are: Business need/relevance (see paragraph 4) linked to appraisal objectives Ability to complete the course of study (e.g. whether the contract of employment exceeds the duration of the course) Availability of budget when the application is being considered It is the applicant s responsibility to provide relevant information at the time of application. 3.2 Temporary staff and Honorary staff positions are not normally covered via this central staff development fund. Joint Appointments may only be eligible for 50% support. Joint appointments where Queen s is the substantive employer are eligible for 100% support. This should be clearly indicated on the form. 4. Level of Financial Support 4.1 Depending on available budget, financial assistance will be determined by business need which relates the relevance of the qualification to the duties which the individual member of staff must perform. 4.2 Where there is a clear business need to undertake a particular course, the cost of fees will be met, subject to approval and available budget. 5. Other Support 5.1 It is recommended that study/examination leave will be offered to staff when the course fee is being supported. A reasonable example might be study leave of up to a day per examination plus time to attend an examination. This must be fully discussed and agreed in advance between the Senior Manager and the staff member taking into account work commitments. It would be expected that leave would not be granted for courses of study not being supported by the University.

3 5.2 For part-time courses of study leading to a qualification, financial assistance via these guidelines, is normally towards course/tuition/exam fees only and not for any costs associated with the purchase of books, materials, travel or attendance at residential courses or professional fees. 6. Application Process 6.1 Staff applicants must complete a Part-Time Courses of Study Financial Assistance Application Form, which is available on-line from the Organisational Development website Assistance/ or in hard copy by contacting Organisational Development directly. Staff members should ensure that course costs are completed accurately. 6.2 This form must be authorised by the relevant Senior Manager and submitted to the Organisational Development by 31 July each year for courses to be undertaken in the following academic year. Further applications may be considered throughout the year after the main application period for courses where enrolment is possible, according to the criteria in section 3.1, and financial assistance will be offered depending on the available budget at that time. 6.3 Schools/Directorates/Departments may manage the communication and application process in whatever way is most effective and ensures consistency for that area. 6.4 Support will be given for one year in the first instance with re-application being required for subsequent years until the completion of the part-time course of study. This is necessary as staff members may withdraw, discontinue or take gaps between periods of study. It is the responsibility of the staff member to make the application each year as required. 6.5 Support will be provided for the first attempt only and if an exam/module/year has to be repeated, the individual will be responsible for repeat costs. 6.6 Staff members should only receive support for one part-time course leading to a qualification in any year. 6.7 Priority will be given to those applicants who are continuing a course, having successfully completed the previous year. Funding should continue at the level previously allocated. 6.8 Financial support under these guidelines will be managed by Organisational Development depending on budget allocated. Therefore, applications may not be supported at any time when available budget has been expended. Applications received after the closing date of 31 July in any year may not be eligible for financial support depending on the available budget. 6.9 Organisational Development will provide applicants with an indicating whether financial assistance will be allocated. This will be provided as early as possible in the academic year. Faculties or other budget holders may also fund staff and they should provide written confirmation to enable staff to enrol and receive reimbursement. 7. Reimbursement Process 7.1 Financial assistance is paid in the following ways:- (i) By the Organisational Development directly to the University Finance Department, Income Office for Queen s (internal) courses. The applicant must

4 have applied via the application process described in section 6. Staff will be required to present their confirmation from Organisational Development or other sponsoring department described in 6.9 to enable this transaction to take place otherwise they will be liable to pay their own fees. Organisational Development may not be able to fund costs over the amount requested or confirmed, if actual course costs differ at the time of reimbursement. (ii) By reimbursement to an individual or department budget code directly for external courses of study. The applicant should obtain receipt(s) as proof of payment and provide a copy in order to receive reimbursement. 7.2 Organisational Development should not be invoiced directly for any course as a Purchase Order will not exist and will not be liable for invoices for which the correct purchasing procedures have not been followed or to support any staff who have not had financial assistance agreed in advance according to these guidelines. 7.3 Claims for reimbursement should be made promptly and as early as possible in the academic year for which approval is given. 8. Clawback Clause 8.1 This process represents a significant investment in employee development, therefore it is reasonable that Queen s expects applicants to complete a course and receive some return on its investment. 8.2 This clause applies to new applications for funding from onwards. 8.3 Applicants in receipt of financial assistance under these guidelines may be required to repay a proportion of funding received if he/she should leave the University within two years of receiving funding or withdraw from a course whilst still in employment. The University reserves the right to seek repayment of funds received as follows: - 2/3 if they leave before completing a course of study or within one year of completion or withdraw from a course whilst remaining in employment - 1/3 if they leave within two years of completion 8.4 If there is abuse of support awarded, repayment in full will be sought. 8.5 This applies to staff with a permanent contract and staff on a fixed-term/temporary contract who voluntarily leave/resign before their contract end date. 8.6 Each case will be considered individually by the Learning and Development Manager in consultation with the Head of Organisational Development/Director of Human Resources and Director of Finance, if necessary, regarding repayment/deduction arrangements and in cases of uncertainty, dispute or appeal of clawback issues. Exceptional circumstances would be considered. 8.7 A staff member can seek clarification on this clause before making a new application for funding. 8.9 The rationale for this clause is to ensure that the University can recover a reasonable proportion of its investment in training and development which would be lost should this be considered appropriate. It is not intended that this clawback policy should act as a deterrent to employee development or to staff who may wish

5 to leave employment, and it is envisaged that it will only operate in relatively few circumstances.

6 9. Other Issues 9.1 In the first instance staff should investigate the most appropriate Queen s (internal) course of study that meets their requirements. Other courses (external) may be supported if they are not offered by the University. 9.2 Applications for high cost courses will be considered on an individual basis by the Learning and Development Manager/the Head of Organisational Development and the Director of Human Resources in consultation with the Senior Manager/Faculty/Directorate. 9.3 Staff who leave the employment of the University will be responsible for their own fees from the date their employment ceases on a pro rata basis. 9.4 Staff must inform Organisational Development if they do not wish to take up an offer of financial support so that the budget may be allocated to another member of staff. 9.5 Staff must respond to requests from Organisational Development on progress or completion of funded courses and inform Organisational Development if they intend to withdraw from a course. 9.6 Staff in receipt of an award or grant which covers the fees for a qualification should not apply for financial support from Organisational Development for those fees. 9.7 Any queries in relation to these guidelines should be made to the Learning and Development Co-ordinator, Organisational Development in the first instance. Any complaints or appeals should be made in writing to the Learning and Development Manager or the Head of Organisational Development. 9.8 Staff should be aware that a proportion of fees are committed to at the point of enrolment and these are not refundable. Staff should refer to the Student Finance Framework regarding liability for fee payments and dates, withdrawal from courses and fee refunds as this is a complex area. Withdrawal from a course will result in the staff member becoming liable for this cost, or the reasonable proportion, according to the amount of funding approved. Organisational Development will not take on liability for course fees after staff withdrawal from a course and staff must notify Organisational Development and the Finance Office as soon as this becomes known and financial assistance has been approved. Organisational Development reserves the right not to approve further funding for courses/stages of courses where a staff member has previously been approved for funding and subsequently withdrawn and incurred a cost. 9.9 Clarification on outstanding payments or errors on their student finance account in Queen s is the staff member s responsibility and should be settled in good time to ensure progression and graduation is not affected.