Eligibility

Non-Union Technicians and Research Assistants are  eligible to apply for up to $800* 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

 How to Apply for Funding Reimbursement

• Review the TRA PD Fund Guidelines(PDF)
• select an activity that assists with your professional development at UBC
• obtain approval from your manager
• pay upfront for your PD activity fee or arrange to have your department pay upfront on your behalf
• determine the applicable quarter period for submitting your application (see “When to Apply” below for details).
• fill out the  Application Form – TRA PD Fund(PDF) and attach original receipts* and supporting documentation
• Send the completed application to:

TRA Professional Development Fund
UBC Human Resources,
350 – 2075 Wesbrook Mall, GSAB
Vancouver Campus, Zone 1

*submission of  the original receipt is required when you pay out of pocket and we are reimbursing you directly.  A copy of the receipt and a copy of the original payment method (Q-Req, TR-Req, P-Card statement) 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.

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 / renewal date must fall within the corresponding quarter application period and you must submit your completed application form during that same quarter period.

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 determines the period in which you must submit your application.

Period 1 -  Open to accepting applications for PD activities with April 1 to June 30 start date* 

Funding Period Summary Table

*in the event that a PD activity does not have  a start date (ie book purchase or self paced course with flexible start date ) then purchase date replaces “start date” for determining the applicable submission quarter.

Any application submitted prior to the first day of the applicable quarter period will be returned to the employee to resubmit during the appropriate application time frame.

Any application submitted after the applicable quarter period deadline date will not be eligible for funding. Please pay special attention to the new deadline dates listed in the table above.

If you know in advance that it will be impossible for you to submit your application & receipt before a quarter period deadline date because of the timing of your PD activity, please contact us well in advance to discuss possible options.  This situation may happen in rare occasions. For example, if you will be attending a conference that occurs over a submission deadline date and you therefore cannot submit claims for accommodation or meal expenses  prior to the quarter period deadline date.

Claimable Expenses

Expenses must be related to professional development activities that enhance the knowledge, performance or career progression of your work at the University.  The Fund may not be accessed for any any other purpose.

Details on typical PD activities such as courses, workshops, conferences, professional  journals, books, or memberships covered by the fund and a list of excluded expenses can be found in the TRA PD Fund Guidelines.

Professional development related travel expenses are reimbursed as per UBC Travel Policy #83 (local travel is not TRA PD Fund eligible)

Please note that authorizing managers should not request a staff person to access the TRA PD Fund to cover any job-related skill development required for, or integral to, the effective functioning of the position (TRA PD Fund Guideline 3.8) as these expenses should be covered by the department/unit.

Department level responsibility for covering  costs noted in TRA PD Fund Guideline 2.8 applies to both required job-skill training expenses and required staff professional accreditation fee expenses.  When maintaining  professional accreditation is not required as a condition of employment, the TRA PD Fund may be accessed by the staff person to cover this professional development expense.

Approval & Reimbursement Process

The PD Fund Coordinator in UBC Human Resources will review your application to ensure it is consistent with the purpose of the program, within available individual funding limits, and includes all applicable receipts and back-up documentation.

If you paid the upfront costs out of pocket, you will be reimbursed by direct bank deposit. If the upfront costs were paid by your department on your behalf,  the PD Fund Coordinator will arrange  reimbursement to your department by Journal Voucher transfer. In either case, you will receive an approval/confirmation email once your claim has been processed.

Our current turnaround time for sending out approval emails and processing reimbursements is approximately 2-3 weeks.

MOST Workshop Special Payment Process:  -  If you are applying for funding for a MOST workshop offered by UBC Human Resources, you do not have to pay upfront . Instead, once you send us your customized application form (provided by email at the time you register for MOST workshop using the online registration system )  the PD Fund Administrator will arrange payment of your MOST workshop on your behalf.  You should send in this form prior to the start date of the MOST course.

Questions about the TRA PD Fund?

Contact Susanna Mulligan at susanna.mulligan@ubc.ca or 604-822-9273 or Cathy Faulconer at cathy.faulconer@ubc.ca or 604-822-6314