Discussion:
Discussion: On March 23, 2015, City Council approved the revised Learning & Organizational Development Opportunities Policy, inclusive of the Educational Assistance Program. For the purposes of the program, Educational Assistance is defined as reimbursement of the cost of tuition and mandatory (or ancillary) fees. Essentially, eligibility under the Program requires that the course(s) of study has a direct benefit to the City in the employee's current permanent position for full reimbursement, or has a potential direct future benefit to the City for 50 percent reimbursement, subject to successful completion of the course(s) of study. The purpose of the Program is to promote:
- a) the enhancement of knowledge, skills, and abilities required to maximize performance;
- b) the acquisition of new competencies for changing job requirements or advancement;
- c) the development of career options to support the changing needs of both the Corporation and its employees; and
- d) succession planning by providing employees an opportunity to attain credentials needed for the delivery of quality services.
It is also noted that employees applying to this program do so on a course by course basis. No commitment is made to entirely fund degree or diploma programs, as continued funding is subject to annual budget constraints.
The reason for consolidating Educational Allowance into one account is to ensure a fair and equitable distribution of budgeted resources to all City departments, and facilitate equal access to the funds by employees.
Risk Analysis:
Risk Analysis: Succession planning has and continues to be identified as a significant risk to the corporation and is overseen by the Executive Director of Human Resources. One of the many mitigating strategies to deal with this risk is the Educational Assistance & Tuition Reimbursement Program. Given the motivation and determination of our employees to continue to grow within the Corporation there is little to no risk in terms of investing in the educational needs of the workforce to ensure a productive, high performing and optimally sound workplace.
While there is always a risk where an employee receives some form of reimbursement from the Corporation for an educational program or course of study, a Scale of Repayment allows the Corporation to recoup up to a maximum of 100% of funds if the employee resigns his/her employment or is terminated or discharged by the City. In such cases, the amount of repayment is based on the completed years of service by the employee and the date of payment for tuition reimbursement.
Should there continue to be an appropriate budget allocation and reserve account available to our employees to meet the ever-changing needs of the Corporation as a result of legislative changes, technological changes and retirements, there is little to no risk in terms of continuing to offer this tool in an effort to provide an adequate Succession Plan. This report is provided to City Council to identify expenditures flowing through the Educational Assistance Reserve Fund and to provide transparency.