02.A.26 – Employee Development and Training
Section: Human Resources
Area: General
1. PURPOSE
The University of Houston System is committed to fostering an environment that encourages individuals to seek opportunities for personal and professional development.
2. POLICY
2.1. The System urges supervisors, managers and employees to identify educational training and development programs that will improve job performance and develop potential.
2.2. The policy of the University of Houston System and its universities is to ensure equal opportunity in all its educational programs and activities, and all terms and conditions of employment without regard to age, race, color, disability, religion, national origin, ethnicity, military status, genetic information, or sex (including gender and pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or status, or gender expression, except where such a distinction is required by law. For the UH System's Official Non-Discrimination Statement, see SAM.01.D.05 – Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Statement .
2.3. The goal of employee development and training is to improve the quality of the System and its university staff by facilitating opportunities to gain:
a. Knowledge about higher education and gain an understanding of the institution's goals and how each part of the organization affects and is affected by these goals;
b. An appreciation for academic values, concerns and needs;
c. Opportunities for understanding goals and problems of other areas of the System;
d. Training in technical, general and leadership skills;
e. Information about skills and knowledge needed for the future; and
f. Quality customer service skills necessary to improve internal services and support student recruitment and retention initiatives.
2.4. All employees are eligible, with their supervisor's approval, to attend training workshops applicable to their personal and professional development.
2.5. Frequently educational training and development programs are offered during an employee's regularly scheduled work hours. To the extent that it is possible and practical, supervisors and managers are encouraged to allow their employees to participate by granting release time. Employees attending such programs with the supervisor's authorization are not required to make up time spent in training and development sessions.
2.6. Each System university shall identify senior leadership positions that are critical to the institution's mission and have a significant impact on the institution's operations and develop a succession plan to ensure continuity of business and academic operations and readiness.
2.7. It is the responsibility of each System employee to complete all mandatory training as required by Texas statutes and University policy, including Texas Labor Code, Section 21.010 .
2.7.1. New System employees must complete New Hire Mandatory Training within the first thirty (30) days of employment. Failure to complete this training by the deadline will make them ineligible for merit increases and may lead to termination of employment.
2.7.2. System employees are also required to complete annual mandatory training. Employees who do not complete annual mandatory training by the published deadline will not have met their job expectations and will, therefore, not be eligible for merit increases.
2.7.3. Supervisors are responsible for monitoring their employees' training performance.
REFERENCES AND RESOURCES
Issued: 11/04/1994
Last Reviewed/Revised: 01/13/2024
Responsible Office(s): Human Resources