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B/12.14 Professional development program for professional staff |
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12.14.1 Professional Development Program Committee (Professional Staff) QUT provides a range of opportunities for the development of its professional staff through the Professional Development Program for Professional Staff (PDP-PS). Such programs are expected to enhance the vocational knowledge and skills of the staff member on a personal level, with respect to their current and future employment at QUT. The broad objectives of professional development programs are to enable staff periodically to work outside the University in order to:
A professional development program (PDP) advances a staff member's development beyond what would normally be possible in the course of his/her duties. A PDP is not intended to fund the performance of a staff member's core duties. The PDP-PS scheme is administered by the Professional Development Program Committee (Professional Staff). The Committee operates at a University level to ensure that professional staff at all levels and from all work areas have access to appropriate development opportunities. Except in cases such as short programs for staff at or below HEW 6, it is not intended that PDP funds be sought or used for backfilling of the applicant's position. A PDP-PS is defined as all leave (normally of a minimum of five working days, except for special arrangements which apply to staff at or below HEW 6 level) for the purposes described above. Applications are assessed by the Professional Development Program Committee (Professional Staff). All eligible members of professional staff are encouraged to consider the potential benefits of such programs and to participate whenever appropriate opportunities exist. For the purposes of this policy, professional staff at levels SSG1and above are not defined as professional staff. 12.14.1 Professional Development Program Committee (Professional Staff)Professional Development Program Committee (Professional Staff) is a Vice-Chancellor's committee established in accordance with Council Procedure 1 (Committees) . Professional Development Program Committee (Professional Staff) is accountable to the Vice-Chancellor for fulfilling the following terms of reference. Terms of Reference The Professional Development Program Committee (Professional Staff):
Membership
A nominee of the Registrar is secretary. Tenure and frequency of meetings Terms of office are as detailed in section 3 of Council Procedure 1 (Committees) . Members of the committee serve for a period of two years with one half of the members retiring at the end of each year. Retiring members are eligible for renomination. The committee meets at least three times a year and at such other times as the Chair deems necessary. Reporting Professional Development Program Committee (Professional Staff) reports to the Vice-Chancellor annually. 12.14.2 EligibilityPDP leave does not accrue on any set basis. Consideration of each request is based on:
Professional Development Program (Professional Staff) Committee may, within the context of overall University strategies and objectives, nominate areas or groups of staff to which priority will be given in a particular round of applications. All members of professional staff (except casual staff) up to level HEWA10 are eligible to apply for professional development leave. However, before a staff member can undertake such a program, normally he or she must have completed a minimum of 12 months continuous service. A member of professional staff will not normally be granted PDP leave more frequently than every two years. 12.14.3 PDP for staff at HEW 6 and belowIn order to encourage staff at and below HEW 6 to undertake appropriate professional development programs, and to assist organisational areas to support these applications, the normal minimum requirement of a 5 working day period is waived. In addition, applications from staff at or below HEW 6 may request payment of conference and training fees, and a contribution towards the cost of short-term backfilling of the staff member's position, if this is deemed to be critical to the operations of the work area and would otherwise preclude the application from being supported by the supervisor. Justification for this must be provided by the applicant's supervisor. The application of this special provision for staff at and below HEW 6 is at the discretion of Professional Development Program Committee (Professional Staff). 12.14.4 Eligibility for leave to undertake studiesApproval for staff to take full-time or part-time leave to progress or complete an approved course of study will be determined at faculty or divisional level (see B/12.3 ). Staff may apply for PDP assistance where a period of study leave forms part of the total program (for example, a program which combines a period of full-time study with visits/tours of, or research within, an external organisation) and the staff member is seeking financial support through the PDP-PS scheme. In these cases, staff must have completed at least half of their academic program at the time of application, and approval for PDP assistance is granted on the understanding that study progress will be satisfactory prior to the commencement of leave. 12.14.5 Location of programLeave should normally be taken in some institution other than QUT. The appropriate location is that which will provide most benefit to both the staff member and the University. Justification for the location of a PDP should be provided. In the case of an overseas location the application should indicate why the advantages to be gained by the University cannot be gained at an Australian location. 12.14.6 Duration and timingUnless there are special circumstances, any period of absence from the University under the PDP shall not normally exceed six months. Up to 12 months leave may be granted on the recommendation of Professional Development Program Committee (Professional Staff) and at the Registrar's discretion. 12.14.7 LeaveA staff member's normal salary and conditions of employment entitlements will accrue during any period of paid professional development leave. For absences of three months or more, normal recreation leave credit accruals should be taken in that time. If this is not possible, approval for deferment of leave should be sought before departure. If approved, the leave is added to normal accruals. A professional staff member, who applies for and is granted participation in a PDP without pay, will continue to accrue normal leave credits, including long service leave, recreation leave, and sick leave credits, and service credits for salary progression purposes during the period of leave. Recreation leave accrued prior to the PDP leave period cannot be used for undertaking the PDP project. It is, however, legitimate to attach recreation leave to PDP leave. The University does not continue to pay superannuation payments during periods of absence on leave without pay (see B/7.11 ). 12.14.8 Conditions of PDP leaveParticipation in a PDP is based upon the following terms and special conditions as determined by the Vice-Chancellor:
Guidelines to assist staff members in preparing and submitting professional development leave reports are published on the Human Resources Department website. Whilst on a professional development program, the Vice-Chancellor may require the staff member to carry out duties relevant to QUT's activities. 12.14.9 Financial assistanceIn determining financial assistance, QUT aims to ensure that staff members going on professional development leave receive an income not less than their normal salary. Apart from the exceptions listed below, a member of staff involved in professional development leave shall be paid full salary, less any normal deductions for the duration of the program. In exceptional circumstances, a lump sum of net salary for half of the period of professional development leave may be granted at the discretion of the Vice-Chancellor. In addition to the staff member's normal QUT salary, financial assistance towards expenses will be made available from the University when the program is away from home. Staff are expected to use the most economical airfare which meets their needs, to use QUT's approved travel agent, and to take advantage of advance purchase conditions. If leave without pay is approved, the staff member will be allowed to retain all remuneration received from the external source. Depending on the circumstances, the return airfare and a contribution towards other expenses may be provided by the University. The extent of financial assistance made available by the University through the professional development program funds will be determined by Professional Development Program Committee (Professional Staff), and will take into account the merit of the program, the total anticipated or actual costs to be incurred, and the extent of the financial contribution from the staff members' organisational area. Information on the level of assistance normally available can be found on the Human Resources Department website . The financial assistance given under the professional development program will be in the form of a lump sum payment, to be applied towards the total cost of the program. 12.14.10 Salary and external incomeStaff members on professional development leave are encouraged to seek allowances, scholarships, grants, salaries or other income from external sources to offset costs associated with the professional development program. A staff member who receives an entitlement from external sources while on professional development leave is normally expected to use this entitlement towards travel, accommodation and incidental expenses incurred, and/or to assist their organisational area to back-fill the position if necessary. External income in excess of the full cost of the program may be retained by the staff member. 12.14.11 Application procedureAll applicants must discuss their proposals with the head of department/school or independent section manager prior to lodging an application. The head of department/school or independent section manager should at that time offer an opinion as to the relevance of the program and arrangements that might be made to cover the applicant's commitments during the period of professional development leave. The faculty/division may need to make provision for staff replacement costs in its budget and one-year operational plan. As a result, professional development programs may need to be planned up to 12 months in advance. All applications are made on the approved Professional Development Program (Professional Staff) Application Form (see the Human Resources Department website) and should include all information requested, together with the required attachments. In addition, a financial statement detailing:
should be submitted with all applications. Applications are lodged through the relevant head of department/school or independent section manager and the relevant executive dean of faculty/head of division, both of whom provide written comments on:
Applications are to be forwarded to the Human Resources Department as detailed on the HR web page. Applications for periods of leave in excess of six weeks are submitted at least six months prior to the proposed commencement date. To be considered at any particular committee meeting, an application and any supporting documentation must reach the Professional Development Program Officer by the date specified in the call for applications. Applications will be called at least twice per year, usually February and June. If there is a third round, applications will be called in October. 12.14.12 Consideration of applicationsApplications are considered by Professional Development Program Committee (Professional Staff) in terms of the criteria outlined in section B/12.14.2 . In addition to these criteria, the Committee also considers:
Professional Development Program Committee (Professional Staff) makes recommendations to the Registrar concerning the granting of leave. Each applicant is then advised of the decision in his or her case. Related DocumentsMOPP B/12.4 Conference attendance for professional staffModification History
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