Professional Growth The policy of the District shall be to encourage continued and active participation on the part of classified employees in a program of professional growth activities designed to improve service to students and the District, and to assist in the personal and professional development of the employee. Professional growth is designed as a continuous purposeful program of study/training to retain and extend the high standards of the classified employees. The purpose of this program will be:
1. To improve the standard of service of the classified staff;
2. To extend and constantly improve the standards of on-the-job performance;
3. To provide opportunities for personal growth and advancement and thereby exert a concerted effort to retain qualified classified personnel. The policy shall be interpreted and implemented as follows:
1. Professional growth credit shall be given for unit credit collegiate-level coursework. Non- collegiate courses shall be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the employee’s immediate supervisor and the Chief Human Resources Officer or designee.
2. Professional growth credit will be provided for coursework completed on the employee’s own time. Released time for on-the-job training to participate in study/coursework, etc., shall not result in professional growth credit.
3. Professional growth credit shall be given only for that coursework begun and completed subsequent to the effective date of the Agreement into which this proposal is incorporated.
4. All coursework for professional growth credit shall be job-related or related to advancement to another District job and subject to prior approval of the employee’s immediate supervisor and the Chief Human Resources Officer. The burden of proof of job-relatedness falls to the employee making request for professional growth credit.
5. If the District determines that the coursework is not job related, the employee may appeal this decision using an appeal process similar to the one now operating with working out- of-class provisions of the Agreement.
6. Upon promotion of the employee to a new classification, the units completed for professional growth credit shall be reviewed by the new supervisor and the supervisor’s vice president to determine whether the growth credits shall carry over.
a. If units were gained completing courses which provided employee with prerequisite skills for the new position, the professional growth credit will not be carried over.
b. If the credit is not job-related to the new position, the credit will not be carried over.
c. In both “a” and “b” above, the appeal process of Paragraph 5 shall apply.
7. The District shall have the right to require appropriate coursework as part of any professional growth program for an employee.
8. An employee shall have three (3) years in which to complete any cycle of professional growth. Units will not be carried over if the cycle is not completed within the three (3) years.
9. Upon completion of twelve (12) units (within the three-year timeline), the employee shall be eligible for the first step of professional growth increment.
10. Upon completion of an additional twelve (12) units (within the three-year timeline), the employee shall be eligible for a second step of the professional growth.
11. Professional growth increment shall be a flat rate of $50.00 per month per step.
Continuous Operation The work week shall provide for continuous operation based on a seven (7) day week, twenty-four (24) hours per day.
Continuous Operations Any employee or group of employees engaged in an operation for which there is regularly scheduled employment on a twenty-four (24) hour a day, seven (7) day a week basis shall be known as continuous operations employees.
Continuing Professional Development If, during the life of the Agreement, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is introduced for plumbers, all time spent in complying with the CPD obligations will be the responsibility of each plumber.
Continuous Employment For purposes of this Agreement, the continuous employment of the Grantee with the Company or a Subsidiary shall not be deemed to have been interrupted, and the Grantee shall not be deemed to have ceased to be an employee of the Company or Subsidiary, by reason of (a) the transfer of the Grantee’s employment among the Company and its Subsidiaries or (b) an approved leave of absence.
