OXFAM GB

Funding Personal Development Policy

Title: Funding Personal Development Policy

Author:
CMT Sponsor:
Area of Governance:
Date for Renewal:
Approved by:
Geographical Scope:
Confidentiality:
Employee Relations Team
Jane Cotton
Human Resources
March 2013
CMT
Worldwide, except in countries where the following policy
contravenes local legislation. In these cases, local legislation
must be followed.
The policy statement will be made public. Other policy details
are internal to employees and volunteers.

Policy Statement:
Oxfam GB aims to ensure that employees have the skills they need to ensure achievement
of its strategic objectives. Oxfam GB recognises that staff development is central to
achieving effective performance and aims to work with each employee to help further
develop relevant skills.

Guidelines
Funding Personal Development

Procedures
Application for Funding

Guidelines
Personal Development
We recognise the need to balance Oxfam GB’s needs as an employer, to achieve its
purpose through its people, with the needs and aspirations of staff. This policy therefore
sets a framework for allowing individuals to undertake training for academic and professional
qualifications and continuous professional development (CPD). However, we also believe
that alternative approaches to learning, such as job swaps, shadowing and secondments are
a more effective way to achieve personal development and to gain professional skills.
Academic study and qualifications are therefore seen as an exception rather than the normal
approach to personal development. This policy should not be used to reward good
performance.

This policy does not relate to internal Oxfam GB courses identified as individual
development needs and those external courses for a specific requirement relating to
someone’s job e.g. the Payroll Manager attending a course on changes to legislation to
payroll and employment law, or a water engineer who needs to learn about new safety
regulations.

The International Division’s Staff Development Fund, which exists to support personal
development of national staff, remains unaffected by this policy.

Eligibility
We will consider providing financial support to an employee who is undertaking personal
training and professional development if it is appropriate to both their job and Oxfam GB and

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if supported by their line manager. Consideration will also be given to development
opportunities that are relevant either to an employee’s current role or their aspirations for
future roles in Oxfam GB, as discussed and agreed with their line manager and agreed in
their personal development objective.

Please note: Oxfam GB does not normally fund MBA’s as these are considered to be more
generalist than the professional courses focusing on specific skill sets. They also tend to be
prohibitively expensive and therefore Oxfam GB would not be able to fund everyone who
wanted to undertake the qualification.

Approval to attend courses will not normally be given to employees who have been
employed by Oxfam GB for less than one year at the start of the course. Exceptions to this
will be allowed when the agreement to undertake such training was made at the
interview/selection stage of the individual’s employment. Voluntary working may be taken
into account in assessing qualifying employment periods.

Funding for development training will not be available from a central source but from
divisional/departmental budgets. Therefore managers will need to consider budget
requirements for the following year in the annual budget planning cycle. In addition,
succession planning will identify skills and knowledge shortfalls within a Division/
Department and therefore point to likely development requirements. Where the number of
applications for support exceeds the funds available, local management teams will need to
prioritise in line with local needs and organisational strategic priorities eg. Focus on the
development of national staff.

This Policy is under-pinned by Oxfam GB’s Equal Opportunities Policy.

Legislation
Some countries may have a legal right for employees to request time off work for training.
Please check local legislation for details.

UK Only
In the UK employees have the right to request time off work to undertake training or study, if
they have been continuously employed by Oxfam GB for at least 26 weeks. Please see
Right to Request Time off for Training or Study – UK only Guidelines.

The Principle of Self Managed learning

While line managers are responsible for supporting the development of their staff and
ensuring they have the skills and knowledge required to perform their jobs, all individuals are
expected and encouraged to take an active role in managing their own learning and
development.

Oxfam GB’s Performance Management approach forms an integral part of the process of
identifying and supporting staff development needs. In particular the ‘Performance
Development Needs’ objective within the Summary of Agreed Objectives should be
completed soon after employees join Oxfam GB and be continuously reviewed and updated.

Membership Fees and Continuous Professional Development

If a student is required to join a professional institute as part of their studies, it is in Oxfam
GB’s interest, having supported people through a professional qualification route or having
requested the qualification through the recruitment process, to ensure that the benefits of
such membership are maintained. Therefore membership fees and ongoing annual
subscriptions will be normally met in full, and Continuous Professional Development
activities including attending annual conferences may be funded subject to application and

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the Division’s/ Department’s available funds. This support also applies to employees that
join Oxfam GB with a professional qualification that is relevant to and required for the role.

Study Leave
The normal arrangement for approved study leave (full normal pay) for courses and exams
is:
• A maximum of half a day per week to attend a course for the duration, excluding
weeks where no attendance is required (college holidays etc)
• One day’s study leave on the day of the exam(s). If more than one exam falls on the
same day the candidate is not entitled to an additional day’s leave
• Study leave days will not normally be given for re-sitting exams other than in
exceptional circumstances.
• For home study, 1-day study leave per month, 1 day for the exam and up to 5 days
for attendance on a revision course.

It should be noted that any leave under these arrangements will impact on a department’s
workload and leave requests are not an automatic right but are subject to approval by the
individual’s line manager.

Funding
The normal arrangements for funding are:
• Course costs will be split equally between the employee and Oxfam GB subject to a
maximum contribution of £4000 from Oxfam GB over a 3-year period. However,
consideration will be given to an applicant’s personal circumstances on a case-by-
case basis and any agreements for funding over the £4000 must have the approval
from the Division head (examples of this are anticipated to be the CIPD course where
it has been agreed due to high costs that Oxfam GB will fund 80% of the costs).
• Examination costs will be split equally between the employee and Oxfam GB.
• The employee is responsible for paying in full all the books they feel they require
except where course fees (either college or home study) are inclusive of the costs of
compulsory study materials (books/manuals/study packs etc). Here, costs will be split
equally between the employee and Oxfam GB

Options and availability for study courses vary depending on location, and choice is left to
individuals in consultation with their line manager. As far as possible the above study leave
and funding principles should be ‘translated’ to apply to an individual’s study model. To help
illustrate this the following examples should be used as a guide.

1. Block day release course (generally 9.00 – 17.00 hrs or similar) followed by
examination. Oxfam GB would:
• pay for 50% of the course and examination fees,
• allow half a day study leave per week for the duration of the course,
• allow one day study leave and one day for the exam

The individual will be required to ‘make up’ the time for the additional half day taken to
attend the course – arrangements for this to be agreed with the line manager. Possibilities
include working additional hours during the rest of the week or using holiday allowance.
Additional study leave would not be possible.

2. Block half day release course (generally afternoon and evening) followed by
examination Oxfam GB would:
• pay for 50% of the course and examination fees,
• allow half a day leave per week for the duration of the course,

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 • allow one day study leave and one day for the exam. Because the individual would
attend work as normal in the morning of study days (unless taking holiday) there is
no time ‘make up’ requirement

3. Home study course followed by examination Oxfam GB would:

• pay for 50% of the home study course fees and examination fees,
• allow one day study leave per month and one day for the exam

4. Home study course followed by revision course followed by examination Oxfam

GB would:
• pay for 50% of the home study course fees and examination fees,
• allow up to a maximum of five days leave for the revision course (if necessary)
• allow one day study leave and one day for the exam

Travel costs for study are at the employee’s own expense.

Oxfam GB will refund expenditure as specified above on presentation of an expense claim

supported by receipted invoices.

Procedures
Application for Funding
Embarking on a period of study requires a high level of commitment from an individual and,
if supported financially by Oxfam GB, a level of investment that requires careful
consideration to ensure justification and hence the need for an application process.

In order to apply for funding, employees need to:

1. Discuss and agree anticipated training needs with their line manager.
2. Complete a Summary of Agreed Objectives Form and Funding for Personal
Development Application Form to be signed by the line manager.

The line manager must then:

1. Consult with their local management team as to availability of funds, appropriateness
of supporting the individual and to ensure applications are treated equitably.
2. Notify the relevant Job Family Head (if the application is approved) to ensure
consistency of approach within the job family and to encourage sharing of best
practice.
3. Send a copy of the application form to the Corporate Learning & Development Team.

Payment for study courses, exam fees and books (where included in course fees see
‘Funding’) will be subject to production of receipts/ invoices and proof of attendance.

Action if an individual leaves Oxfam GB employment

Funding personal development represents an investment made by Oxfam GB for the future.
If this isn't 'repaid' in value-added because the employee leaves Oxfam GB of their own
accord, we will expect to operate some repayment of the level of investment. An agreement
will be made at the time funding is provided and this will represent a contractual relationship
between the employee and Oxfam GB. If an employee leaves Oxfam GB’s employment
during the course/training or within 12 months from the date of the completion of the course,
then Oxfam GB’s total contribution will become repayable by the employee.

If an employee leaves Oxfam GB during the course/training or within 12 months from the
date of the completion of the course, for reasons not of their own accord (eg redundancy,
end of fixed term contract, dismissal), managers should decide on a case by case basis with

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advice from HR whether the employee will be required to repay all, part or none of Oxfam
GB’s funding contribution.