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The University of British Columbia
- a place of mind
- The University of British Columbia
- UBC Human Resources
The Job Skills Training Program (JSTP) has been designed to support the professional development needs of staff in UBC’s CUPE 2950 employment group.
The intent of the program is to encourage and support employees to access learning activities that will enhance current job performance as well as to support skill development that will open up opportunities for transfer and promotion throughout the University.
Applications are being accepted for professional development activities that start between April 1-June 30, 2013
Every year, we review the individual funding limits for the JSTP in coordination with the executive of CUPE 2050, and on occasion we make adjustments in order to distribute the funds in a sustainable and equitable manner. Over the past few years, we have seen a steady trend of increased fund usage. In order to ensure that this year’s funds are not depleted prematurely, we have made some adjustments to accommodate projected PD funding requests from staff.
Individual Funding Limits for the New 13/14 Funding Year
HR is excited to announce that UBC administrative support staff have free access to Lynda.com, an industry leading software and technology web-based tutorial service. This service became available April 23, 2013 & is sponsored by the JSTP through monies set aside for this group-wide educational opportunity. Registration information is available on our HR online software training webpage
We encourage staff to access this complementary training service prior to requesting JSTP funding for alternative software training providers.
Staff belonging to the CUPE 2950 employment group staff are eligible to apply for up to $1000* in funding reimbursements each UBC fiscal year, April 1 – March 31.
Individual funding applications are approved on a first-come, first-served basis and are subject to the availability of the overall budgeted funds released for use over the quarterly application periods.
*annual funding limit is pro-rated for staff working less than .50 FTE
Application forms can be submitted by fax at 604.822.8134 or by campus mail to:
JSTP Funding Program
Human Resources, UBC
350 – 2075 Wesbrook Mall, GSAB
Zone 1
*if you’ve already paid for your PD activity prior to requesting JSTP funding and the activity start date has passed, you may still apply for JSTP funding reimbursement as long as you submit your application and original receipt by campus mail within the applicable application submission period time-frame (PD start date determines applicable submission period – see “when to apply”).
The annual funding budget will now be equally divided and released for use on a quarterly basis. If the budgeted funds for any one quarter period are used up before the end of the period, the application submission window will close until the start of the next quarter.
To be eligible for funding, your PD activity start date must fall within the corresponding quarter application period.
| Quarterly Allocation | For courses/ conferences/ workshops/ membership renewals with a start date*: | Applications for Pre-Approval will be accepted as of: | Receipt submission deadline: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Period 1 | April 1 – June 30 | March 1 | 30 days after purchase date |
| Period 2 | July 1 – Sept 30 | June 1 | 30 days after purchase date |
| Period 3 | Oct 1 – Dec 31 | Sept 1 | 30 days after purchase date |
| Period 4 | Jan 1 – March 31 | Dec 1 | 30 days after purchase date or March 31 (whichever is sooner) |
*If your PD Activity does not have a start date or renewal date, such as in the case of a book purchase or self-paced course, your purchase date takes the place of “start date” and determines the period in which you must submit your application.
Any application submitted for an activity that occurs in upcoming periods will be returned to the employee to resubmit during the appropriate application period time frame.
Any application submitted after the the applicable quarter period time-frame has passed will not be eligible for funding.
The intent of the Job Skills Training Program is to encourage and support employees to access learning activities that will enhance current job performance as well as to support skill development that will open up opportunities for transfer and promotion throughout the University, thereby contributing to ongoing job security. The JSTP cannot be accessed for any other purpose.
Details on typical PD activities supported such as courses, , workshops, certificate/degree programs, conferences, resource books, or memberships can be found in the JSTP Guidelines .
Please note that authorizing managers should not request a staff person to access the JSTP Fund to cover technical skill development required for, or integral to, the effective functioning of the position (JSTP Fund Guideline 3.7 ) as these expenses should be covered by the department/unit.
The PD Fund Coordinator in Human Resources will review your application to ensure it is consistent with the purpose and principles of JSTP, authorized by your manager, and within available funding limits.
In some cases, the PD Fund Coordinator may request supplemental information in order to fully evaluate your request prior to providing final HR authorization.
Within 5-10 working days of your application submission, you will then receive an email from Human Resources advising you of your funding pre-approval status and instructions for next steps.
If you are pre-approved for a MOST course offered by Human Resources, your workshop payment will be forwarded to the MOST Registration Desk on your behalf.
If you have received JSTP funding pre-approval for a course offered by another unit at UBC or for an off-campus training provider (such as BCIT, Langara, or VCC), it will be your responsibility to register and pay for the course upfront using your own funds and then submit the original receipt* to the JSTP Fund Coordinator for reimbursement by direct bank deposit.
Alternatively, with approval from your own manager, you can register and pay for a JSTP pre-approved course upfront using a departmental Purchase Card or JV and then request JSTP to reimburse your department directly by Journal Voucher (JV) transfer.**
*submission of the original receipt to Human Resources is required when you pay out of pocket and we are reimbursing you directly. If your receipt does not clearly note your name, PD activity & start date, please include additional documentation that confirms this information
**Submission of a copy of the receipt and a copy of the original payment method (Q-Req, TR-Req, P-Card statement) along with your department speedchart is required when we are reimbursing your department. If your receipt does not clearly note your name, PD activity & start date, please include additional documentation that confirms this information
Once the PD Fund Coordinator receives your receipt by campus mail the current turnaround time for processing reimbursements is approximately 2-3 weeks.
Contact Cathy Faulconer at cathy.faulconer@ubc.ca or 604-822-6314 or Susanna Mulligan at susanna.mulligan@ubc.ca or 604-822-9273
See the full catalogue here.
Here are just some examples of work-related courses taken by CUPE 2950 members using JSTP funding:
