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FAQ
Q1: Why is the University offering me this £150 allowance for learning - what's the catch?
Q2: Who is eligible for a £150 Learning Allowance?
Q3: What do I need to do to get my £150 Learning Allowance?
Q3a: Why do I have to complete a Personal Development Plan (PDP)?
Q4: How do I use my Learning Allowance to pay for a course?
Q5: I want to do a course outwith the University - how do I go about using my allowance for this?
Q7: I am a new member of staff at the University - am I eligible for the Learning Works allowance?
Q8: I applied last year for Learning Works - do I have to re-apply?
Q9: My contract with the University expires before July - will this affect my allowance?
Q10: How long will my learning provider have to wait for payment?
Q11: I don't know what to do with my Learning Works allowance?
Q12: I wish to take an Open University course. How do I arrange payment?
Q13: Can I carry unspent allowance forward to next year?
Q14: I know what I want to do but where can I do it?
Q1
Why is the University offering me this £150 allowance for learning - what's the catch?
The Learning Works programme is provided in the belief that there are very significant benefits both to individual employees and to the University from staff participating in learning, and having the experience of enjoying developing new skills, which both the employee and the University can benefit from
Q2
Who is eligible for a £150 Learning Allowance?
All staff who are in posts graded at level 5 or below are eligible
Q3
What do I need to do to get my £150 Learning Allowance?
You need to be eligible for Learning Works i.e. be Grade 5 or below. You need to register with Learning Works and then you need to have your choice of learning approved and that's it!
Q3a
Why do I have to complete a Personal Development Plan (PDP)?
It helps you to plan your development and exactly what you need to do to get the most from your learning. It also helps us to determine if the learning you want to do can be supported by the Learning Works programme
Q4
How do I use my Learning Allowance to pay for a course?
You need to get a Learning Voucher made out to the value of the course from Learning Works to pay for your course. For more details on the process of getting Learning Works funding please go to the Accessing Funding page
Q5
I want to do a course outwith the University - how do I go about using my allowance for this?
If the course you want to do is external to the University, then we will issue you with a learning voucher. You then take this to your learning provider, e.g. college, tutor etc, who fills in the details requested and sends the top copy back to us with an invoice made out to the University of Glasgow for payment. We can then pay them directly for your course. You must let us know what you want to learn before the 31st May 2012.
There are certain details which we need before we can issue the voucher such as the name and address of the learning provider, telephone number, cost of lessons and when you need the voucher for/when the course commences.
Example: Name & Address of Provider: Cardonald College, 690 Mosspark Drive, G52 3AY,
Telephone: 0141 272 3333, Title of Course: TEFL, Cost: £140, Start date: 20th January 2008.
Full details of the required information can be found on the Voucher Request Form.
Q6
My learning provider requires an immediate payment to take my booking - is there any way round this?
No - unfortunately it is not possible for you to pay for the course yourself and then claim a refund. You must use a Learning Works Voucher to pay for any course you take. We may however be able to help you, either talk to your provider or find a similar course where you can use your voucher. Contact us for further help.
Q7
I am a new member of staff at the University - am I eligible for the Learning Works allowance?
Yes. You do not need to finish your probationary period before using your allowance. You will also need to register for your allowance, even if you don't yet know what you intend to learn, so we can set it aside for when you can spend it. Registration forms for this year can be found here on this website or you can call us on ext 2197 for a hard copy.
Q8
I applied last year for Learning Works - do I have to re-apply?
Yes - you must re-apply each year by the registration deadline to guarantee your £150 learning allowance.
Q9
My contract with the University expires before July - will this affect my allowance?
No - so long as you have a contract of employment with the University you will receive the full allowance.
Q10
How long will my learning provider have to wait for payment?
Your learning provider should send us an invoice attached to your learning voucher. Finance Office payment terms are normally 30 days from the receipt of the invoice.
Q11
I don't know what to do with my Learning Works allowance?
Take a look at the pages linked from the menu on the right hand side of the home page of this site for more learning ideas and places to find help and advice or you can contact us on ext 2197 or email us at learningworks@glasgow.ac.uk.
Q12
I wish to take an Open University course. How do I arrange payment?
You need to complete the Open University Learning Choice form available from Learning Works and a Personal Development Plan (PDP). You then need to register with the Open University. When you have successfully registered with the Open University you will receive confirmation of this. A copy of the confirmation documentation must be sent to Learning Works.
When we receive the PDP, Learning Choice form and proof that you have registered for your course we will raise a cheque payable to the Open University from the University Finance office and send it to you.
Please note that this process can take up to five weeks from the date of your request, so you will need to allow at least this amount of time to meet your Open University payment deadline.
Q13
Can I carry unspent allowance forward to next year?
No. You must re-apply for a new allowance allocation each year.
Q14
I know what I want to do but where can I do it?
For help and advice on locating learning providers please contact Learning Works on ext. 2197 or email us at learningworks@glasgow.ac.uk