7160-27 Professional Development - Professionals Policy

1. Purpose

The purpose of the Vanier College Professionals Professional Development Policy is to convey the commitment of the College and the Association of Vanier College Professionals towards providing training and development opportunities for professionals, to study their needs for professional development, and to initiate steps to encourage accessibility to professional development.

2. Scope of Application

This policy applies to all regular and temporary professionals, full-time and part-time, who are eligible for professional development.

3. Definitions

3.01 Employee: An individual who works for the College part-time or full-time under a contract of employment as a member of the Professional staff.

3.02 Credit courses: Courses which carry credit towards a program of study directly related to the employee’s function and career path within the college and/or increase the employee’s effectiveness on the job, including pertinent materials.

3.03 Non-Credit courses: Courses that do not lead toward the completion of a program of study, such as workshops, conferences and seminars that are likely to increase the employee’s effectiveness on the job and career path, including pertinent materials.

3.04 Membership: Fees required to be a member of a professional order or other job related membership fees.

3.06 Professional Development Materials: Books, electronic books and software purchased by employees to improve their skills and knowledge.

3.07 College Professional Development: College Professional Development (P.D.) activities are defined by the College as activities necessary for the improvement of personnel and are directly related to their work. It also refers to software training or courses, college-wide workshops or conferences, or any other activity deemed relevant by a manager.

3.08 Individual Professional Development: Training and development opportunities designed to improve the skill set and/or knowledge base of an individual professional.

3.09 Group Professional Development: Training and development opportunities designed to improve the skill set and/or knowledge base of a designated group of professionals.

4. Policy Statements

4.01 The Professional Development Policy’s main objective is to provide resources to employees seeking to improve their knowledge and skills as they relate to the performance of their functions. In order to meet its needs and to develop the particular abilities of the employees, the College should provide all employees with tangible opportunities for professional development through activities, studies, training periods or work which may be useful in the performance of their duties or in their career path at the College.

5. Professional Development Committee

5.01 The Professional Development Committee exists by virtue of Chapter 7 of the Collective Agreement for Professionals and endorses the establishment of an autonomous committee to oversee professional development activities, funding, and allocation. The Professional Development Committee is a parity committee with two members named by the Association of Vanier College Professionals and two members appointed by the College Administration.

5.02 To ensure the professional development of employees, the Professional Development Committee is called upon to:

1. Receive requests from employees for professional development, analyze and discuss these requests, and forward its recommendations to the College;
2. Study the professional development needs of professionals;
3. Take the necessary steps to enable employees to benefit from all the professional development possibilities available to them;
4. Recommend the distribution of the amounts provided for in article 7-0.00;
5. Prepare an annual report on the activities and expenditures;
6. Establish or modify its own procedural and operating rules.

6. Funding

6.01 As per indicated in the Collective Agreement.

7. Procedures

7.01 More information about the funding, process, timeline, and reimbursement will be found in the Professionals Professional Development Procedures.

8. Authority

8.01 This Policy is under the authority of the Director of Human Resource Services.

9. Effective Date

9.01 This policy will come into effect upon acceptance by the Board of Directors and will be reviewed every three years.