Staff professional development funding

UBC staff can access professional development funds to support career growth at the university.

Notice: Current Funding Year Closed 

Posted March 4, 2023

Do not submit a PD Fund claim in Workday (expense report or request form). PD Fund claims will not be accepted in Workday from March 4 to March 31, 2023. 

Claim submissions can commence again on April 1, 2023, at the start of the new funding year. At that time we will be accepting claims for PD related purchases made within 90 day of you your submission date. 

If you submitted a claim in Workday by the March 3 deadline, it is currently in the queue and will be reviewed and processed on a first come first served basis.

Please be patience as we review a high volume of claim submissions at this time of year. Your claim will be routed to your manager for approval by Friday March 17 and will be fully processed by March 30, 2023. 

  

Notice: Submit PD Fund Claims by March 3

Posted January 17, 2023

The current PD funding year:  April 1, 2022 through to March 31, 2023. 

For the current PD funding year (April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023), staff and research associates are welcome to submit claims on a first-come, first-served basis until the annual funding pools are exhausted or by March 3, whichever comes first. 

Financial status of all staff PD Fund pools: This year we anticipate that all the staff PD funding pool budgets, with the exception of the Non-union Technicians and Research Assistants PD funding pool, will accommodate eligible claim submissions up to the March 3 year-end deadline. 

Deadline for submitting your PD Fund claims in Workday: FridayMarch 3, 2023

Professional Development Fund claims are entered, reviewed, and approved directly in Workday. To meet UBC Finance fiscal year-end deadlines:

  • If you are staff please submit your reimbursement claim in Workday by Friday, March 3.
  • If you are a manager or supervisor, please review and approve all claims in Workday no later than Friday, March 17.

PD Fund claims will not be accepted in Workday from March 4 to March 31, 2023. Claim submissions will commence again on April 1, 2023, at the start of the new funding year.

For more information, view the January 17, 2023 announcement : Staff: Submit your Professional Development Fund claims by March 3

NOTICE:  Non-union Technicians and Research Assistants PD Fund

Updated  March 4, 2023 at 8:40am

As of March 4, the Non-union Technicians and Research Assistants PD Fund has an overall budget balance of approximately $0 available to be claimed by eligible staff.

If you belong to the Non-union Technicians and Research Assistants employee group and have already submitted a claim in Workday prior to February 27 which has not yet been processed, please note that your claim will be processed and paid out this current funding year provided your submission meets all eligibility criteria.  

If you submit a claim in Workday between February 27 and March 3, there is a possibility that your claim will not be accepted for funding this current funding year due to the early exhaustion of the overall funding pool. We will be processing claims on a first-come, first-served basis. If we run out of overall funding prior to processing your claim, it will be returned to you in Workday unprocessed.

If we return your claim, please note that you will be able to resubmit it after April 1, 2023 for the upcoming 2023-2024 funding year provided that your expense purchase date is within 90 days of your April submission date.  

 

Previous Notice April 1, 2022:  View the April 1, 2022 message with updates for the 2022-23 funding year. 

Eligible expenses

Funds can be used for a variety of professional development activities that will enhance your role-related knowledge, skills and performance as well as contribute to your career growth at the university.

  • Receipts must be submitted in Workday within 90 days of the original purchase date to qualify for reimbursement. 
  • Please note that you cannot split the cost of a PD related expense between two funding years. 

The funds aren't intended to cover job-required expenses such as job-required training, professional memberships or ongoing accreditation. These expenses should continue to be paid by your department. 

Examples of eligible expenses for staff 

  • resource books and professional journals
  • registration fees for courses, workshops, exams, webinars, and conferences
  • professional memberships and certifications that are not required for your job
  • one-on-one career coaching fees, when provided by an ICF – credentialed coach
  • travel and accommodation for out-of-town conferences, as per Policy FM8 – Business Expenses  and related documents

Examples of ineligible expenses for staff 

  • activities or travel to fulfill required work-related responsibilities
  • activities taken for health and wellness, general interest, or recreational purposes (including related equipment).
  • local travel expenses ( parking, gas, meals, transit)
  • academic student fees
  • application software or licensing (examples such as adobe creative cloud, lucidchart, trello) 
  • home phone, data or internet plans
  • electronics such as  laptops, ipads, mobile phones, e-readers,
  • office equipment or supplies

Funding details by employee group

The funds are negotiated as part of the collective agreement bargaining process for most employee groups.

Before submitting a claim, review the details below for your employee group to:

  1. review the PD Fund guidelines for your employee group.
  2. find your individual claim limit each year.

How to submit your claim

Submit your PD fund claims directly through Workday. For step by step instructions, as well as general resources and help with Workday, visit the Integrated Service Centre. After logging in with your CWL, you can search the knowledge base for instructions on how to submit a claim. Please search for the following knowledge base articles:

Please confirm that your PD Fund Reimbursable Allowance Plan is assigned in Workday (see “View My Professional Development Funds” knowledge base for instructions.) 

If you plan to make a claim and your PD Fund plan is not currently assigned, submit a Workday support request as soon as possible to have this issue resolved. Select HCM/HR as the ticket category. Select Professional Development Fund as the subcategory.

Reimbursement Process:

Your claim will be reviewed by a PD Fund Expense Partner within 15 business days, however the processing time may take longer if you submit an incomplete claim or if information is missing. You will receive the claim back if the PD Fund Expense Partner requires additional information or if your claim is ineligible for reimbursement. 

Note: When completing a PD Fund related expense report in Workday, select your PD Fund name as the expense item and leave the current date as the expense date for each expense item line (i.e. expense date selected must be April 1, 2022 or later), otherwise, you will not draw down on your PD Fund total eligible amount for the current year and you will encounter an error message when you try to submit your expense report. 

Your manager or supervisor will check your claim as it related to your current role and career growth, and approve directly in Workday.

About your reimbursement

Funding is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Once your claim is processed you’ll receive confirmation in Workday. 

  • If you paid out of pocket, you'll be reimbursed by direct bank deposit.
  • If you paid with a UBC credit card (card in your name), your expense will be reconciled directly from your PD Funds. 
  • If your department paid on your behalf, your department will be reimbursed directly by general ledger credit. 

PD funds and taxation

The funding provided is not included as taxable income on your T4 slip. This means that  you cannot claim the value of any funds received through this program as part of a tuition tax credit or for any other credit on  your annual tax return. Please refer to Canada Revenue Agency – Eligible Tuition Fees for more information.

What managers need to know

As a manager or supervisor, you are accountable for reviewing the relevance of your faculty or staff's PD Fund claim as it relates to their current role and career growth. 

View more information on the page for managers and administrators

Questions?

If you have questions about these funds or how to submit claims, please contact Integrated Service Centre.

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