Purpose

1.             The General Staff Development Endowment Fund seeks to assist in the development of general staff to enable them to contribute to the University beyond the expectations of their current role. The fund is used to contribute towards costs associated with recognised and acceptable professional development aimed at enabling general staff to develop management and leadership capability, grow into a new role and/or develop new skills to meet changing University requirements.

2.             The General Staff Development Endowment Fund is used to support short courses, conferences and comparable professional development proposals. It is not available for:

• Ongoing courses of study (for example, undergraduate and post-graduate degrees/diplomas) which may be supported through study leave;
• The development or maintenance of current job-related operational skills or requirements (e.g. CPA accreditation); or
• Staff development in operational/ day-to-day matters which are the responsibility of the local area.

Eligibility

3.             General staff who have been employed at the University for 12 months or longer may apply for a grant, provided that general staff on fixed-term appointments are employed on a minimum three year fixed-term contract, and have at least a year remaining on their contract.

4.             Applications may be submitted by individual general staff members or teams.

5.             Local areas are expected to contribute at least 50% towards the cost of the proposed development.

6.             Previous recipients of funds from the General Staff Development Endowment Fund may reapply after a period of three years has elapsed from the date of the grant of any previous successful application.

Level of support

7.             Successful applicants will normally receive a contribution towards the cost of an approved development program up to a maximum amount of $2,500 per person, subject to availability of funds.

Selection

8.             The General Staff Endowment Fund Committee will assess applications against the following criteria:

• The program is directly relevant to the staff member's current Statement of Expectations and is included in the staff member's Career Development Plan under Section 2B of their Statement of Expectations.
  
• The program supports the teaching/ research/ administrative direction of the College/Division/Centre.
  
• The proposal is supported by the Dean, Director, Head of Centre, or Head of Administrative Division.
  
• There is an acceptable plan to disseminate results or otherwise share newfound expertise and knowledge more widely in the University community.

Application procedure

9.             There are normally two application rounds each year.  Out-of-session applications will be considered as required.

10.         Applications should be made using the Application for General Staff Endowment Fund form and accompanied by additional material as may be necessary.

11.         The application must:

• Address all aspects of the selection criteria, as stated on the form and outlined above.
  
• Include a supporting statement prepared by the applicant's Supervisor and certification that the proposal is linked to the applicant's Career Development Plan as part of their Statement of Expectations.
  
• Be endorsed by Divisional Director, Head of Centre or College Dean
  
• Be signed, and with all additional documentation should be mailed to:

General Staff Development Endowment Fund Applications
Staff Development Branch
Human Resources Division
Chancelry Building 10A

12.         A committee chaired by Director, Human Resources will review each application and recommend grants as appropriate. The Director, Human Resources is the delegate for the approval of grants.

13.         The General Staff Endowment Fund secretariat will advise applicants of the outcome of their application via e-mail within 10 business days of the committee meeting.

14.         Funds will be reimbursed to the local area upon submission by the applicant of their plan outlining how they will share their learnings from the development opportunity (see clause 8 above), following attendance at the program/event.