STAFF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT: POLICY AND PROCEDURES

Introduction
It is University policy that appropriate training and development opportunities should be provided for all staff and that they are encouraged to update their knowledge, develop their skills and broaden their experience through a variety of channels. The objectives of the policy are: a) b) c) d) e) f) to improve the performance of staff in their present roles, to prepare staff for future roles and career development, to enable staff to adapt to meet the changing requirements of the University, to maintain and enhance the quality of service in all areas, to support, where possible, personal educational development; to increase job satisfaction.

Funding and/or time away from normal duties for staff training and development purposes must be approved by the appropriate Dean, Director or Head of Department. In some cases such approval may require consultation with Research and/or Staff Development Committees.

Range of Activities Covered by this Policy

Training and development activities for which approval should be sought will typically include: a) b) c) d) e) f) Courses of study, with or without qualification, undertaken at this or another educational or training establishment. Short courses, conferences and seminars run by external bodies. General and specific induction training for new staff, co-ordinated by the Personnel Services Department and including some form of accreditation where appropriate. Corporate staff development activities provided by the Personnel Services Department (largely, though not exclusively, group based, in-house workshops or seminars). Professional traineeships within a particular discipline leading to qualifications and/or membership of a professional body. Practice based development via secondment, visits, meetings, research, consultancy, etc.

This policy aims to set out guiding principles, funding/support arrangements, scope of activity and procedures relating to staff development and training activity in the above areas.

Pathways
Detail of the Pathways scheme can be found on the SDU website.

Activities Requiring Direct Sponsorship/Support by Schools/Departments

The distribution and use of staff development funds within schools and departments will be determined by, amongst other things, appraisal. Within schools in particular, Research and/or Staff Development Committees may advise Deans on the allocation of school budgets for staff development activities. The scope of School/Department sponsored staff development is as follows:

Courses of Study not covered by the previous section (Pathways)

a)

Where a member of staff wishes to undertake a part-time award bearing programme at another University or a FE college outside the partnership, the University of Wolverhampton will only pay fees and grant study time where :

it is a job requirement that the programme be followed as part of a redeployment or upskilling initiative within a school/department or is in some other way, judged to be of value within the job; and, it can be demonstrated that the specific programme is not available at the University of Wolverhampton or a partner college.

b)

Support from the University for such programmes may include:

full fee costs; normally one half-day, but up to one full day where required, of study leave of absence per week; full time off for each examination undertaken; one half-day revision time per examination undertaken; full time off for residential study where this is prescribed as a compulsory part of the course;

c)

In some circumstances, courses of study at other Universities or FE colleges outside the partnership, which are not job specific but may be of educational value for the member of staff, who is regarded as competent to complete the course successfully, may be supported under the following conditions:

For staff salaried at Scale 4 and below: half fees supported; one half-day per week of study leave of absence with pay; full time off for each examination, with pay; one halfday revision time per examination, with pay. For staff salaried at Scale 5 and above: no fees supported; one half-day per week of study leave of absence with pay; full time off for each examination undertaken. In both of the above cases, full time off with pay will be granted where residential study is prescribed as a compulsory part of the course.

d)

Continuation of support, in any circumstances, whether for a second or succeeding stage of study, or for a second attempt at an examination, cannot be guaranteed. Continuing support is only granted where the University is satisfied that the member of staff has made satisfactory progress, or in other circumstances, merits assistance for a re-sit. In any case, continuing support can only be granted subject to the review of priorities for funding at the time when renewal requests are made.

e)

Staff undertaking financially supported study at non-partner institutions and Staff appointed as Trainees in a specific professional area where the traineeship is governed by a scheme of study leading to qualification within the discipline, will be subject to the following conditions as part of their contract of employment:

that the member of staff accepts that all or part of the funding will be repaid to the University in the event of them leaving the University's employment within two years of the termination of their period of study; that where a member of staff fails to sit for and examination within a reasonable period, or fails to show satisfactory progress in their studies, or discontinues their course, the University may withdraw any support granted under this policy and require the repayment of all or an appropriate proportion of financial assistance granted that continuation of support, in any circumstances, whether for a second or succeeding stage of study, or for a second attempt at an examination, cannot be guaranteed. Continuing support is only granted where the University is satisfied that the member of staff has made satisfactory progress, or in other circumstances, merits assistance for a re-sit. In any case, continuing support can only be granted subject to the review of priorities for funding at the time when renewal requests are made.

Conferences

Conferences are an important means of staff development and provide an opportunity for meeting other professionals and staff with a common interest. Support for attendance at conferences (funding, time off and expenses) may be given where this may bring identifiable advantage to the University, particularly where: a) b) c) the person attending is giving a paper relevant to the University's needs, where the conference substance is concerned with new developments in higher education, where there is a specific training or staff development value for the individual.

In these circumstances 'support' may include funding, paid time off and reasonable expenses approved in advance.

Research

The University wishes to encourage research and although research for higher degrees is also encouraged, this will not be the only criterion for approval. Research in collaboration with industry or commerce is particularly encouraged. Support may be given in the form of additional time off. For the purpose of this policy 'research' is defined as: a) b) c) work for which a member of staff registers as a student for a higher degree; work, the findings of which are capable of being published in a monograph, advanced text or a learned journal; work which may be exhibited or any other work which could properly be regarded by the University as an original contribution to knowledge, to scholarship or the creative arts.

This is to be regarded as a minimum operational definition, designed to exclude related activities such as consultancy and the writing of standard text books.

Secondment

a)

It is recognised that this is the most difficult activity to support given the financial implications for the replacement of staff. The period and nature of secondment should therefore be reasonable having regard to the activity concerned and to the usefulness to the host and to the recipient. Support may include:

b)

leave of absence (paid or unpaid) and/or, reasonable expenses, approved in advance

Recommendations for secondment should take into account the teaching or professional needs of the school or department. Staff applying for leave under the terms of this paragraph or paragraph are required to set out briefly as part of their application to their Dean/Head, the objectives they are seeking to achieve. It is also a condition of secondment that a report is compiled upon completion and not later than the end of the following academic semester. Such reports may form the basis of staff seminars or other activities within Schools/Departments. It is a condition of secondment that the member of staff accepts that this entails an obligation to the University. A seconded member of staff will undertake to remain in the University's employ for a period of at least two years from the date of return to their post.

c)

d)

Staff Exchanges

This mode of secondment brings mutual advantage to both exchanging institutions and is particularly useful for non-local placements, including foreign exchange. The same conditions regarding support available, report back and obligations to the University apply as with secondment.

Practice Based Development

The University actively supports and encourages developmental opportunities which can be realised through activities within individual's professional communities, such as: a) b) Liaison with educational institutions, industry and professional bodies. Consultancy and professional activity: This form of staff development is encouraged although there should be no claim on any school/departmental staff development funds under this heading. Any member of staff wishing to carry out professional activities of this kind should ensure that they have proper approval for such work in order that they are covered by the University's corporate insurance and professional indemnity policies. Activity within Professional Bodies: The University encourages such activity by providing facilities for such bodies to hold meetings on University premises and may assist staff participation by providing leave of absence with pay. Creative Work in the Arts: The University encourages and supports staff in their personal involvement in the creative arts and undertakes, whenever possible, to provide facilities for exhibitions and performance of work produced.

c)

d)

General and Specific Induction Training for New Staff

It is University policy that all new staff receive appropriate guidance, training and monitoring to ensure that they are competent to carry out their duties. More specifically, the purposes of induction are: a) To ensure that new members of staff quickly become familiar with the University's history and structure, have an understanding of the University's mission, vision and objectives and are made aware of key policy areas, To ensure that new members of staff quickly become familiar with their immediate surroundings and gain a clear understanding of their own role and the priorities and standards which apply to their job.

b)

In pursuit of these objectives the Personnel Services Department will organise General Induction Seminars, usually at three points in the academic year (September, January and April) to which all staff will be invited within their first year. An appropriate induction programme for the job/individual in question will also be devised by the appropriate Dean/Head or his/her nominee.

Training and Development Activities Provided by the Personnel Services Department

The Personnel Services Department will provide University-wide training and development activities for all staff within a defined overall budget. This will involve provision of both in-house courses, and where appropriate, support for external course attendance where there is corporate rather than local School/Departmental benefit. A Corporate Staff Development Programme will be drawn up annually to be issued to all staff at the start of each semester. The content of this programme will be determined from: a) b) proposals by Executive/Deans/Heads; proposals from Units/Agencies within the University which have a University-wide issue or interest which can be pursued via the staff development route, for example, software update training proposed by the University's IT Services, or training in widely used financial procedures by the Finance Department; instructions from Executive for staff development in pursuit of particular policies or objectives; results of specific investigations into training and development needs in a particular skill area or for a particular staff group; common or University-wide needs identified through the annual staff development plans prepared by Schools and Departments.

c) d) e)

Core activities within the annual programme currently include:

Induction for new staff, Health and Safety training, Management and personal development, Information Technology skills, Teaching and Learning issues, Training on procedural and policy matters.

Mandatory Training

There are certain roles, responsibilities and skills which the University considers of such importance that some form of training is considered mandatory for staff involved in those areas. Additionally, as a matter of policy, there are certain areas of information, knowledge or skill which are considered necessary for all staff. An outline of mandatory training elements are as follows:

Learning and Teaching

The University runs a programme in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education which has awards at Certificate, Diploma and Masters levels. The programme is available to all temporary and permanent teaching staff and with certain exceptions, enrolment for the Certificate level is mandatory for all new teaching staff. The following guidance applies to participation on the programme:

The mandatory requirement will be automatically waived for staff recruited to Dean, Associate Dean and Reader posts and for those who hold an equivalent qualification, i.e., a ILT approved qualification or other appropriate qualification in teaching. The mandatory requirement may also be waived for new staff who can demonstrate that their previous education, training and experience already matches the requirements of the certificate programme (as judged against criteria for entry to the ILT). In other cases a postponement of enrolment may be available for those who may already be committed or be expected to commit to some other form of postgraduate study on joining the University. Certificate level, will normally be attained during the first two years of employment for fulltime staff (pro-rata for fractional appointments), with an expectation of around half of the credits being achieved in each year. Staff who wish to progress to Diploma and levels should agree a timescale for completion with their Dean. Attainment of the Certificate will be linked to the probationary year such that 'satisfactory progress' towards the certificate should be considered, amongst other performance conditions, in passing through probation. However, this should not be applied as an absolute condition for passing probation. If the Dean is otherwise satisfied with the probationer's progress and there is recognised good reason for a shortfall progression, this should not interfere with confirmation of appointment. It has been estimated that for the Certificate modules studied per year a minimum allocation of 100 hours should apply which will be resourced from a combination of banding and SMRSA time. It is recognised that there may be significant difficulty for schools in releasing new staff for the programme and therefore schools with more than 3 mandatory participants in any one year will be compensated at full VL rate for their 4th and subsequent mandatory participants. An additional salary increment will be awarded for a PGCE gained during employment. This increment will apply from the September following attainment of the Certificate

Induction

The general induction seminar is mandatory for all except manual staff who have an individualised induction but may attend the general seminar if desired. APT&C staff attend the general seminar for a half-day and academic staff continue for a further two half-day sessions.

Appraisal Training

All designated appraisers attend a two day course and all other staff (appraisees) attend a half day appraisee briefing. The appraiser/appraisee training/briefing must be attended prior to appraisals taking place.

Caretaker Training

Caretaking staff undertake a programme of training involving basic maintenance skills; security issues, including cash handling and dealing with aggression; health and safety issues including first aid and safe lifting and handling; fire safety/using fire extinguishers; and customer care skills.

Recruitment and Selection Training

All designated recruiters within schools and departments attend a one day programme. 'Recruiters' are those involved directly in selection processes rather than those who may occasionally be involved in peripheral recruitment activities.

First Aid Training

A one day 'Basic First Aid' course is mandatory for all staff and the 'Full First Aid Certificate' course is mandatory for specified posts, namely: Demonstrators, Technicians, Caretakers, Cleaning Supervisors and Drivers.

Fire Safety

All staff will attend a one hour fire safety lecture within their first year of employment. This is not necessarily a complete list of possible mandatory training. Specific training may accompany certain tasks or activities, e.g., training for Portable Appliance Testing, or may be provided for roles for which individuals volunteer, e.g., Internal Quality Auditor training.