The College commends employees who seek opportunities for professional growth and development.
Staff: Employees who seek to improve their skills and knowledge through job-related professional development, such as through additional education, should document these plans prior to their occurrence by completing the Professional Development Plan form. This plan should be approved by the appropriate administrators and must receive final approval from the President. Employees should see the Human Resources Director for more information on how to submit this form and other required documentation prior to commencement of the professional growth/professional development plan, unless otherwise approved by the President.
Advancement within a level for a position shall be based on several components. Individuals seeking advancement must provide the following:
- a written request to the President from the employee desiring advancement;
- a written recommendation(s) from the employee’s supervisor with any applicable documentation;
- the past three employee evaluations, if available, with the individual showing no major weaknesses, liabilities, or problems noted by the supervisor;
- incumbency in the position at the current salary grade for at least three years, absent unusual and extenuating circumstances documented by the supervisor or with approval by the President; and
- adherence to a written, approved professional development plan, which must include the following: (a) addition to the position of higher order compensable factors, including but not limited to addition to the position of increased supervisory responsibility; (b) attainment of appropriate education and/or professional development which is job related and which increases the individual’s knowledge or skills germane to the position, resulting in the individual becoming more valuable in helping the organization to meet stated goals or objectives; and (c) attainment of increased technical competence through certification, licensing, or training which is job related and which expands the ability of the individual to perform critical job functions.
In addition to the above requirements, for individuals seeking advancement the President may also consider the following factors:
- market conditions in the area served by the institution; and
- existence of unique circumstances or situations at individual institutions, justifying advancement, including demonstration of ingenuity, creativity, etc.
All decisions regarding advancements are subject to the review and approval of the President. Additionally, the President has the authority to initiate advancements when appropriate. Employees should consult with the Human Resources Director for more information on how to submit a professional growth plan.
Faculty: Faculty who intend to further their education must submit a Professional Growth Plan (PGP) form as well as a course of study, signed by his or her advisor, for consideration and approval by the President. A PGP is the official notification to the college of a desire to pursue additional credentials for advancement in faculty rank. A new plan must be submitted when an instructor desires to advance to any rank not covered by a previously approved plan or if a change of major or course of study becomes necessary or desired. If an instructor’s plan is for the purpose of rank advancement, the plan must be approved by the President in advance of the instructor commencing the course of study included in the plan. Only the President can approve professional growth plans for salary or rank advancement. The President also has the discretion to deny professional growth plans for salary and rank advancement when the additional credential(s), education, or professional development is not needed, necessary, or desired to meet the academic, fiscal, or other needs of the institution.
Instructors in Groups B and C who wish to use corporate or other external training as a graduate semester hour equivalency to meet the in-field requirement must include the plan for obtaining the corporate and/or external training in the PGP. To determine the graduate semester hour equivalency of corporate or other external formal training, the College follows the federal definition of a credit hour as given in 34 CFR 600.2 and affirmed in the SACSCOC Credit Hours Policy Statement as the amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes that reasonably approximates at least one hour of direct instruction and two hours of out-of-class student work each week for fifteen weeks for one semester. Based on this federal definition, 30 semester credit hours includes at least 450 hours of direct instruction. Specifics of how corporate or other external formal training meets these guidelines must be indicated within the PGP. Examples of corporate or other external training include but are not limited to Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) courses, NAM’s Manufacturing Institute courses, International Code Council Learning Center courses, American Culinary Federation training, Association for Advancing Automation (A3) training, etc. The corporate and external formal training needs to be completed outside of the scope of the instructor’s normal workday and work responsibilities.
Additionally, some advancements involve a work requirement including the successful completion of an occupational examination or certificate program. Such exams or certificates must be approved by the President and include, but are not limited to, the NOCTI, NIMS credentials, AWS, etc. The exams or certificates must be widely accepted as legitimate indicators of learned skills and experience.
Employees should see the Dean of Instruction for more information on how to submit this form and other required information prior to commencement of the professional growth plan. A copy of the approved Professional Growth Plan and regular updates regarding the completion of the plan should be shared with the Human Resources Director. Approved instructor rank changes may only occur once per year, and all official documentation for proof of earned credentials or completion of professional development plans must be submitted to the Dean of Instruction no later than August 15. Professional development plans must be completed by the timeline indicated in the PGP unless otherwise approved by the President.