Item 5 - Support for Professional Development

Where membership in a professional association is required by the university, such membership will be paid by the university. In certain cases, it may be feasible for the university to obtain an institutional membership in lieu of underwriting the membership of individual employee. Inquiries as to eligibility should be referred to the Associate Vice-President, People and Chief Human Resources Officer. Job profiles, job advertising information and offer letters will include a reference to an employment requirement to hold membership in professional associations.  Where membership in a professional association is not required, a membership may be paid from a professional allowance (Item 5.2).

It is expected that individuals will commit to continued professional development and pursue appropriate opportunities. Professional allowances, which are granted yearly, shall be used to defray expenses associated with related professional activities, or activities which enhance an employee’s work performance, ability or effectiveness.

Eligibility

All permanent, seasonal and eligible term (term > 6 months and > 0.5 FTE, except those on unpaid leave) exempt staff are eligible for professional allowances as per the following tables.

Claimable Expenses

As legislation on taxable benefits change from time to time, please consult the Financial Services Division website for a listing of current claimable expenses. As non-taxable benefits, any goods, books or equipment purchased using professional allowance funds remain the property of the university.

Annual Allocations

1. Employees will receive their allocations on May 1 each calendar year.
2. Employees who are appointed between November 1 and April 30 will have their annual allowance reduced by 50% for the first year of employment only.
3. Unused allowances at the end of each fiscal year will be rolled into the allowance for the following year. The cumulative total in these accounts will be capped at 5 times the annual allotment.
4. In special circumstances, exceptions can be made to the annual entitlement amounts and account cap. Written requests for exceptions can be made in writing to Human Resources.

Claims

• Positions within salary bands 1, 2 and 3 follow the guidelines for Accountable Professional Expense Fund (APEF).
• Positions within salary bands 4 and 5 follow the guidelines for Deans and Senior Administrators Expense fund (DSAE).

Exempt staff shall be entitled to have tuition fees waived for one (1) three-credit course per academic term for courses taken at the University of Saskatchewan. Registration is completed through the normal class registration procedure.

• Provided that space is available in the course, the tuition for auditing one (1) six-credit unit course or equivalent, per academic year, will be waived by the university.
• If the course is taken during normal working hours, approval must be obtained in advance from the supervisor.

• Tuition Waiver