Staff Development

Principles
1. The Finance Department invests resources and staff time in staff development and in assisting its employees to gain relevant qualifications. Our commitment is real and substantial and the package offered to trainees is comprehensive and competitive.

2. The principles behind training support are:
~The Finance Department wishes to support staff development by helping its staff achieve recognised relevant qualifications, especially with the financial costs of training. Support is offered for first attempts and costs will be recovered if staff leave within a certain time after receiving financial support.
~In training for qualifications, the department must also consider the working hours given up for day-release. In certain circumstances, the department may ask for personal commitment to studies to ensure that our investment is matched by dedication of personal time by students.
~Subject to funds and approval of specific cases, the department supports ongoing training requirements both in terms of technical skills and other relevant non-accounting skills (time-management, computing and so on).

Training leading to qualifications
Supported courses of study
3. The courses which are supported primarily by the department are the three recognised accounting qualifications, AAT, CIMA and ACCA. Other support e.g. for management or supervision qualifications or postgraduate study may be available by specific agreement of the Director / Deputy Director/ Assistant Director of Finance. The level of study and courses will be agreed by the Director / Deputy Director/ Assistant Director of Finance who will wish to assure themselves that the member of staff is pursuing a qualification which they are capable of attaining in full and is suitable to their ability. Support will generally be given only to students attempting substantial progress in a short space of time. We will review progress with you at the end of each study stage and you will be given support to move on if there is evidence to lead us to believe you are capable of achieving the qualification.

Subject to performance and relevance of the qualification, part-qualified staff joining the University may normally continue to receive support on the same basis as existing staff. Staff promoted / successfully applying for jobs at higher grades will normally be permitted to complete their studies; in the case of changes from clerical to admin grades, staff will complete their current year's study under the clerical rules but the admin grade rules will apply from the next year of study.

Specific considerations may include the following:
~In general AAT is suitable for staff who do not have degree qualifications but have a sustained interest in accounting and who have reached a basic level of examination attainment at GCSE (including Maths).
~Consideration will be given to supporting evening classes for GCSE/A level Accounting for staff who do not have such relevant qualifications already and who are at the start of their accounting career.
~Staff will normally only be allowed to study for CIMA/ACCA having attained either AAT and / or an undergraduate degree.
~Qualifications relevant to specialist areas such as payroll and credit control will be considered.

Students being supported will be expected to sign an agreement to show their acceptance to its terms, including repayment of costs.

Financial support and time support
4. Arrangements for study support and financial support vary between the courses of study and are covered in detail in separate training agreements for ACCA/CIMA, AAT and other courses. The principal contact for ACCA/CIMA and AAT is the Deputy Director of Finance, for management and supervision courses the Assistant Director. Other courses, such as postgraduate study or computer skills, should be discussed with the Deputy Director for staff in management accounts and the Assistant Director for staff in processing and financial accounts.

Monitoring
5. To assist in our monitoring of training activities, students will be asked to agree at least annually, and in all cases before registering, the stages and exams being taken at sittings through the year and the study method and commitments being undertaken. As noted above, failures at one stage will automatically mean a review before progression to the next stage.

Training and Staff development not leading to qualifications
6. The department wishes to support staff development and continuing professional development for its staff within our budgetary constraints. Clearly staff have responsibilities to keep up to date with developments by private reading and study of professional literature and computing and other available documentation. Where formal training is appropriate, we will normally look to provide training courses either from our own resources, or to use relevant courses put on by the University's Training and Development Unit. Only in exceptional circumstances approved by the Director / Deputy Director/ Assistant Director of Finance would we pay for courses which are covered by these resources.

7. We are often informed of courses and seminars put on by third parties. Our budget for 'commercially priced' activities is very limited and normally only particularly relevant or valuable courses will be considered.

8. In all cases for training in this section, where release of staff time will be required and /or where financial support is requested, staff should approach their head of section who will then consult the Director / Deputy Director/ Assistant Director of Finance, who will decide on the case.

Other staff development
9. The department encourages staff to maintain formal and informal links with individuals or groups which foster greater knowledge and understanding of the University and the sector. Membership of generic bodies such as the AUA will be at the expense of the individual (though they are tax-allowable expenses). Approval of the reimbursement of attendance at events should be sought from the Director / Deputy Director/ Assistant Director of Finance. Staff may also be aware that there are often budgets allocated for sector-wide initiatives and we will nominate, or be pleased to consider nominees, for relevant cases to be put forward for support.


A S Grice
Deputy Director of Finance
8/07/2005