UoM Staff L&OD FE/HE Funding Scheme Manager Support Declaration Form (Academic Year 2022/2023)

This form is a declaration of support for the application entered by a member of staff for whom you have line-management responsibility.

Please enter your @manchester email address below to begin.

Please note that due to the length of the form we advise you to read it in full before attempting completion to ensure you have all the necessary information. It is also advisable to save a copy of the form.

You can save your progress, exit and return to this form at any time. To do so scroll to the bottom of the page and use the "Finish Later" link. 

Financial support will only be granted for payment of course and mandatory exam fees. Support is not available for travel and subsistence, membership of professional bodies, or text books.  In deciding whether a course can be approved, account will be taken of whether:

Applicants show that the course of study:

·         is relevant to the current and future needs of the University,

·         will improve the current and future effectiveness of the applicant,

·         is good value for money and cannot be funded by any other internal source,

·         cannot be provided internally.

Applicants show the course of study:

·         is related to the applicant’s normal work at the University,

or

·         is linked to the applicant’s future known employment at the University,

or

·         is in line with internal career aspirations which have been agreed with their line manager, for example agreed through the PDR process and will be supported by additional development opportunities in order to embed and practice the new learning.

Managers will sign a declaration to this effect on the application form.

The FE/HE scheme does not typically fund short courses e.g. courses that take less than one academic year to complete.

We suggest the External Training Funding Scheme is more appropriate if the course is less than one academic year.

Learning & Organisational Development are only able to process completed applications once this supporting application has been completed.

Please use the spaces in this section to state how the intended course of study meets the qualifying conditions, and the benefits to be gained by the applicant. 

Learning & Organisational Development will contribute 50% of course fees up to a maximum value of £1,000 per person per year for approved applications. 

Where 50% of course fees are less than £1,000, the lower amount will be awarded. 

It is expected that the applicant would approach the employing Department and/or make a personal contribution to make up the remainder of course fees. Learning & Organisational Development will not normally fund more than one course per individual per year (or a maximum of 60 credits for Open University degrees).

In all approved cases, if a member of staff leaves University employment by resignation or termination by the University during an approved FE/HE course, Learning Organisational & Development will require all of the current year’s fees to be repaid by the applicant.

• In all approved cases the applicant must sign a repayment undertaking to facilitate the refunding of all or part of course fees to the University in the following circumstances: the withdrawal from a course by the applicant without the agreement of their line manager and any consultation with Learning and Organisational Development,
• attendance or progress on the course is deemed as unsatisfactory,
• the applicant fails to sit the necessary examinations with no valid reason (the applicant will have the opportunity to discuss the reason they have been unable to sit the examination with a member of the L&OD team before any action is taken),
• the applicant fails to pass the requisite examinations,
• the applicant leaves the University through resignation or termination (including the termination of a fixed-term contract) by the University within 24 months after the successful completion of study.
• Please note - it is you, the manager's responsibility to inform us that the applicant has left the University.

Repayment Table

• If the applicant leaves the University prior to the completion of study or within
• 6 months of completion - 100% of fees
• Within 1 year - 50%
• Between 1 and 2 years - 25%
• More than 2 years - 0%
• Failure to complete - Individual Review with L&OD
• Failure to show progress - Individual Review with L&OD

Repayment will be via a deduction from their final salary payment and where applicable, any remaining balance by direct payment to the University bank account or by cheque within 30 days of leaving. 

Any paid time off for attending courses is regarded as part of normal working duties and staff must inform their line manager if they are absent from the course for whatever reason.

The continuance of assistance, whether for a second or succeeding stage of study will be approved if the member of staff has passed the appropriate examination or has otherwise made satisfactory progress. 

Staff applying to study for a qualification with the University are normally entitled to a 50% fee remission. Such staff can also apply to Learning & Organisational Development for financial support for 50% of the remaining course fees (up to £1000 annual limit). The remaining balance will need to be made up by their employing area or through a personal contribution.

Courses vary considerably in their content, delivery methods and demands on people’s time in terms of personal research and assessment. 

If the course mode of attendance requires a day or half day release from the workplace, staff are allowed paid time off to attend.  This also applies to any other mandatory teaching sessions that form part of the course – for example attendance at Open University Residential Schools, attendance at other course residentials and so on. In approving applications line managers should note and make arrangements to facilitate this. Staff are allowed paid time off to take any examination or any other final form of assessment to complete the course of study – it is recommended that staff be allowed paid time off for revision equivalent to the length of the exam.

Individuals undertaking approved courses of study should negotiate a reasonable time allowance with their line manager on time to be taken in work, or time off in lieu, to undertake assessment and course related work. Such allocations of time must take account of normal work commitments and should be planned so as to minimise impact on normal service/work delivery. It is suggested that a maximum of 4 days be allowed for a course of study lasting one full academic year. Time allowances for study for courses of shorter duration should be treated on a pro-rata basis.