Staff Learning Scheme
What is the Staff Learning Scheme?
The University believes that learning at work, undertaken voluntarily and properly supported, is likely to benefit both the individual and the organisation. Such learning may involve formal courses or a programme of other activity such as work shadowing, mentoring or coaching, or planned reading or projects. Usually the learning will be connected with work, but learning programmes undertaken out of general interest may also benefit the University if the effect is to stimulate an interest in learning for its own sake.
The Staff Learning Scheme is designed to provide university staff with financial support for relevant courses and other learning activities for which they would otherwise have to pay. The full policy can be seen via the link to the right. Examples of courses for which you may apply for support are:
- courses offered by the department in which you are employed (including DPhils);
- courses offered by other academic departments of the University;
- courses offered by colleges of the University (e.g. Oxford Bursars Training);
- courses offered by organisations outside the University.
Remember that courses run by the Oxford Learning Institute, and other Oxford service units such as Computing Services and the Language Centre, are free or carry only a nominal charge to staff; and so the Staff Learning Scheme does not apply to these.
Employees of the University (academic, academic-related and support staff) who wish to undertake a course or other learning activity may apply to their head of department for a grant towards the fees. The annual grant will normally be for a maximum of 100 per cent of the fee, or £2,000, whichever is the lower.
In recent years, there was also provision for a department to seek central reimbursement for part of their costs incurred through the Scheme via the Staff Learning Panel in the Learning Institute. With regret, this route has had to be suspended for courses starting in the year 2012-13 because of a lack of funding.
To apply
Application forms are available in the links to the right.
If you wish to take a course within your own department, please complete 'Staff scheme - own department' form and send it to your head of department.
If you wish to take a course in a department other than your employing department, or a course run by a body outside the University, please complete the 'Staff scheme - external' form and send it to your head of department.
Details on the tuition fees for Oxford University courses are available from the Fees Clerk.
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