City of Yorkton EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT City Manager. City of Yorkton Employees. Director of Human Resources. 1 of 5 1.

Transcription

1 ORIGIN/AUTHORITY Director of Human Resources City of Yorkton JURISDICTION City of Yorkton Employees ADOPTED BY City Manager EFFECTIVE DATE January 1, 1996 Amended March 24, 2010 Amended July 9, of 5 1. PURPOSE: To provide financial assistance to employees for the purpose of education and professional development in the form of registration fees, tuition, time off and other program costs, recognizing the organization benefits derived from enhancing employees' knowledge and skills. 2. DEFINITIONS: 2.1 Program Costs: Expenses incurred while participating in approved professional development activities may include: tuition/registration fees, examination fees, certification and re-certification costs, books and materials. For purpose of this policy, program costs do not include membership/registration fees in professional associations. 2.2 Travel Costs: If travel time occurs outside of regular work hours, employees shall not be compensated for their time. Travel expenses may be reimbursed by the City in accordance with the Travel Allowance Policy (#20.110). 2.3 Employer Required Education and Professional Development: Includes educational courses, programs, workshops, etc. required by an employee in order to fulfill the duties of his/her position, as outlined in the Job Fact Sheet for the position. 2.4 Employee Requested Education and Professional Development: Includes educational courses, programs, workshops, etc. requested by an employee in order to enhance their skills, however it is not listed as a job requirement on the Job Fact Sheet for the position. 3. POLICY: The City of Yorkton shall develop, implement and maintain a comprehensive program of professional development, which will be administered in a consistent and equitable manner. Professional development includes post-secondary education programs, safety courses, conferences, workshops, seminars, and on-line/ correspondence courses. 3.1 Process: a) The Education & Professional Development form is completed and submitted to the immediate Supervisor prior to the employee undertaking any training program. The request must receive Department Head approval and: if the total amount is $500 to $1,499 - the approval of the Director of Human Resources; or if the total amount is $1,500 or greater the approval of the City Manager. b) Once approved, employees can register for the educational program and the City will pay the fee directly to the establishment, or provide reimbursement to the employee if the employee has paid the fee. Refer to Revenue Canada for further information regarding employee-paid education.

2 2 of 5 c) For Employer Required Education and Professional Development: An employee will be given a maximum of three (3) opportunities to complete/pass a course/exam. The City will pay for the cost of training to a maximum of two (2) times per course/education program. City pays cost for 1 st Attempt If employee fails 1 st Attempt he/she is responsible to pay for the 2 nd Attempt If employees fails 2 nd Attempt, he/she is responsible to pay for the 3 rd Attempt If employees fails 3 rd Attempt, he/she will be reclassified to a position for which they hold valid qualifications. If employee passes 2 nd Attempt, the City will reimburse them. If employee passes 3 rd Attempt, the City will reimburse them. d) For Employee Requested Education and Professional Development: The City will pay for the cost of training to a maximum of one (1) time per course/education program. City pays cost for 1 st Attempt If employee fails 1 st Attempt he/she is responsible to pay for the 2 nd and any future attempts without reimbursement from the City upon passing. e) Upon completion of any approved education program, it is the responsibility of the employee to provide proof of completion (statement of marks, CEU credits or copy of Certificate) to the Human Resources Department. f) If an employee withdraws from an approved education program which was paid for by the City, it is the responsibility of the employee to reimburse the City for all expenses incurred. Under extenuating circumstances, an employee may request that reimbursement be waived, and the request will be forwarded to the City Manager for approval. 3.2 Certification: a) Employees must ensure that a copy of all Certificates that are identified as a requirement on their position s Job Fact Sheet are forwarded to the HR Department for their personnel file, and all Certificates must be kept current and valid. b) Upon obtaining certification that results in a position re-classification, the date effective for the salary adjustment will be the date on which the exam is written and passed. A copy of the exam results/certificate must be attached to the Payroll Communication. c) Should an employee fail to maintain the required qualifications for their position, they would automatically move to the Level/Classification for which they have valid qualifications and be placed at the step in the pay grid next lower to their current rate of pay. Should the employee attain the required qualifications for the higher Level/Classification, they would in turn be moved back up.

3 3 of Calculation of Financial Assistance: a) Where employees are requested or required to undertake training, the program costs will be fully paid by the City. b) For all other situations, and at the City s sole discretion, the Department Head and the Director of Human Resources will determine the amount of financial assistance, using the following point rating system: Points Relation of Program to Job 0 Unrelated or primarily to employee s advantage 2 Useful, but not directly related 4 Mutual advantage to employee and organization 6 Definite asset to organization 8 Directly related/job requirement c) Point totals will determine percentage of financial assistance: Points Percentage of Financial Assistance 0 0% 2 25% 4 50% 6 75% 8 100% 4. RESPONSIBILITY: 4.1 The Employee shall: a) Complete the Education & Professional Development form (see Appendix A attached) and submit to his/her immediate Supervisor for approval prior to the educational program starting. b) Participate fully in and complete the entire educational program. c) Forward a copy of the Certificate, Transcript of Marks, etc. to Human Resources upon completion of training. d) Recognize that there may be an expectation to assume some or all of the costs for professional development. e) Acknowledge that he/she may be required to use personal time towards professional development. f) Transfer knowledge and skills learned at educational programs to the workplace and to their specific job.

4 4 of 5 g) Acknowledge that if time off is required to complete the program, he/she must complete the section of the Education & Professional Development form showing the dates and number of days to be away. 4.2 Department Heads & Immediate Supervisors shall: a) Budget annually for program/training costs in accordance with valid employee and organizational needs. b) Administer policy regarding approval or denial of professional development requests. 4.3 Human Resources Department shall: a) Update and administer the policy and file all training documentation in personnel files. b) Maintain training records within the HR database and provide training reports to departments for the purpose of tracking certifications and the expiry of same.

5 Appendix A 5 of 5