• This policy provides a framework for the equitable treatment of applications from Library staff who are seeking support (time off and/or funding) to follow a sustained course of study. Sustained study is defined as a course that lasts more than four days irrespective of cost.
• Employees may, of course, enrol for any course at their own expense which does not impinge on their duties. One-day courses (or those of fewer than four days duration in total) are not covered by this policy.
• The Library will adhere to any over-riding conditions relating to courses, training, etc which may be devised by the University of Manchester.

• An annual sum is currently set aside to support Library staff to pursue sustained courses. (A sustained course is any course requiring absence from normal duties on at least four separate days in any twelve-month period or which is of at least that length but does not require absence from work e.g. a distance-learning course)
• Separate funding will apply for day or short courses
• Each year the budgetary position regarding sustained courses will be reviewed by the Library Executive Team
• The level of funding may change from year to year
• Eligible costs covered include course fees, examination fees and agreed travel expenses

• Where permission is granted to attend a course in normal working hours and/or funding is granted by the Library, it is conditional on the course being delivered by an appropriately accredited individual or institution; on the course's being judged by the Library Executive Team to be good value for money and on its being offered at a geographically suitable location i.e. normally within the Greater Manchester area
• There may be instances where these guidelines are met and funding is available but service needs to Library users override the granting of absence. However, all reasonable steps will be taken to avoid such situations.

The Library's prime purpose is to provide quality services to its users. Priority will therefore be given to applications which match one or more of the following categories, in descending order of importance:

• 4.1 The course is aligned with the Library's strategic policies and is included in the Library's Strategic Training Plan
• 4.2 The course is one which the individual has been asked to attend by his/her Head of Department (on the advice of the individual's line manager); staff will normally be required to attend such courses
• 4.3 The course is, in the opinion of the Head of Department (on the advice of the individual's line manager), directly relevant to the execution of the applicant's existing duties
• 4.4 The course is, in the opinion of the Head of Department (on the advice of the individual's line manager), directly relevant to the execution of the applicant's realistically likely future duties
• 4.5 The course is, in the opinion of the Head of Department (on the advice of the individual's line manager), beneficial to the applicant's general career development.

Decisions on applications will be made by the Library Executive Team. Applicants will be informed of the category under which decisions have been taken.

Except where required to attend a course by their Head of Department, permission to attend courses which necessitate absence from work or funding from the Library will normally be limited to:

• 5.1 Library Staff (part or full-time) who have completed at least one calendar year of employment in the Library at the start of the course. Cases will be judged by the Library Executive Team on their merits and not primarily on the relative length of service of the applicants. In certain cases where salaries are paid by third parties through contracts with the University of Manchester, it may be necessary to obtain the permission of these parties before permission for leave of absence can be granted
• 5.2 Applications for funding or absence should be submitted in writing using the Sustained Study Application Form and should be sent to the Staff Training and Development Co-ordinator. Before submitting this application, candidates should discuss their plans with their line-manager. On the application form, full details should be provided of the course's title, content, location, total duration, total cost, implications for attendance at work and the reasons why the applicant believes that it will be of benefit both to him or her as an employee of the Library and to the Library's users. The application should clearly state whether fees and/or time-off is being requested. Preference will be given to those applications accompanied by a written statement of support from the applicant's line-manager. Applications are now invited at any time of the year but please give sufficient time for your request to be reviewed by the Library Executive Team before the start of the course. 
• 5.3 Library Executive Team approval will be for the duration of the course. Staff do not need to resubmit an application for each year of their course. Applications to the Staff Learning and Development (SL&D) for funding support must, however, be made on an annual basis. Staff are required to apply to the (SL&D) for funding support on the request of the Staff Training and Development Co-ordinator
• 5.4 New members of Library staff will not necessarily receive any support for courses to which they are already committed on appointment. However, in appropriate cases, the Library reserves the right to support such employees even though they have been employed for less than a year (as per 5.1 above) in the Library
• 5.5 Where any dispute arises over the interpretation of this policy, the applicant should initially make his or her case known in writing to the University Librarian. Thereafter, normal University mechanisms for grievance may apply.

Staff may apply for one or more of the following awards:

• 6.1 Time off to attend a course which takes place during normal working hours of the applicant. It will be at the discretion of the Library Executive Team whether the making-up of such time is required. Where it is required, the practical arrangements for so doing will be determined by the applicant's line-manager in the context of service requirements. The reasons for granting or withholding of time off or of pay backs of time off will be made clear to applicants
• 6.2 Payment or assistance with payment of course fees and associated costs, such as travel and examination fees. Where University of Manchester courses are involved, the appropriate avenues should have been explored by the applicant, prior to application, regarding the partial waiving of course fees by the department delivering the course. Where relevant written confirmation that this has been done should be provided with the application.

Where time off work is granted to attend a course, this may be on the following terms:

• 7.1 Time off which need not be paid back in full. Where the course is being attended at the behest of the Library, no pay back time will be required. In other cases, up to one day a week may normally be granted for course attendance, with a half-day having to be repaid according to para 6.1 above
• 7.2 Time off which must be paid back in full, in accordance with para 6.1 above
• 7.3 Where an examinations are an integral part of the course, time will normally be granted for sitting each examination, if this is scheduled to take place during a normal working day for the applicant. Pre-exam study leave will be granted only in cases where the course is of direct relevance to the individual's current work in the Library (i.e. if approval is under 4.1 or 4.2).

• 8.1 The receipt of funding or of leave of absence from work in any one year does not necessarily mean that such an award will be made in subsequent years up to the completion of the course, though every attempt will be made to ensure that funding is continuous to the agreed ending of the course. It is only envisaged that funding would be withdrawn if the Library were required by the University or external funding source to make substantial unforeseen cuts to its overall expenditure
• 8.2 Reports of unsatisfactory course attendance or performance will result in withdrawal of the award and may necessitate the refunding of fees and/or time off by the recipient. The Library reserves the right to solicit progress reports from course providers
• 8.3 Any recipient of funding or time-off may be required to provide a written report of their progress and/or to give a presentation to appropriate staff on the outcome of their studies
• 8.4 The Library reserves the right to reclaim fees and expenses paid to employees to pursue courses of study in instances where the employee resigns his or her post within two years of completion of the said course.