Professional Development & Training Opportunities

UCSB faculty and staff are encouraged to pursue professional development and life-long learning opportunities. Your professional development can result in increased effectiveness, productivity, and career growth. Research indicates that adults can anticipate changing careers at least five times during their working lives. There are numerous campus programs and resources available to assist you. Many of the classes and programs offered at UCSB are open to all employees, others are designed for specific groups.

Department heads may support an employee's request to participate in a development program by flexible or alternate work scheduling, leave without pay, leave at full or part pay, full or part payment of fees and expenses, and temporary or part-time reassignment in another department, provided that:

  1. The employee has completed the probationary period, if required, and
  2. The employee's performance is satisfactory or better.

Campus Resources

Training and Development Courses
The unit offers workshops, programs and other activities to all faculty and staff. Courses are offered in:

The employee's department generally pays the enrollment fee and travel expenses associated with training and development events. Employees wishing to attend a class or program must obtain approval from the department. Most classes and workshops are offered during the workday. Employees are released from regular duties to attend training and development events. Each university program has an enrollment form that the training participant completes and submits to the coordinating department. For more information visit the Training and Development Webpage.

The UCSB Extension
The UCSB Extension catalog is printed four times per year, and is available at http://www.unex.ucsb.edu/

Courses are offered in:

Take Advantage of UCSB Extension's 25% discount!

  1. All faculty and staff of UCSB who are employed at least 50% time in career positions are eligible to receive a 25% discount on courses having a published fee of less than $480 and which do not contain special costs.   No discounts may be taken on concurrent enrollment courses or courses conducted in computer labs. Extension has the authority to remove specific courses from qualifying for staff discounts.

  2. In order to receive a discount, eligible staff must pre-enroll and request the discount at time of enrollment. Discounts are not retroactive.

  3. Staff discount may be applied to one course per quarter and is not transferable.

  4. The discount is taken off the standard course fee. To receive the discount, proper identification must be presented at the time of enrollment.

For more information or to enroll, call (805) 893-4200 or visit http://www.unex.ucsb.edu/

Educational Fee Reduction
Please see our page on Educational Fee Reduction for requirements, FAQs and an application.

Information & Educational Technology
Instructional Computing offers a broad curriculum of hands-on courses covering a variety of general topics and many types of software. Workshops are $20 each and on-line course notes are offered free of charge. For more information, contact Alx Sanchéz, Training & Consulting Manager, at (805) 893-5251.

Required Program Attendance
When a department head requires an employee to attend a training or development program, the time spent in attendance shall be counted as time worked, and the full fees and related costs, i.e., materials, travel, and per diem, shall be paid by the department.

Continuing education courses for the maintenance of State licenses which are a requirement for employment in the employee's present position are not automatically considered professional development programs and do not necessarily qualify for fee reimbursement.

Professional Development Leave
Upon approval of the department head, a regular status employee whose performance is satisfactory or better may be granted leave at full or part pay to engage in educational or development activities which are consistent with the interests of the University and which are related to the employee's position and/or to the employee's professional, technical or managerial skills. Approval must be obtained in advance of the leave in accordance with department procedures. The department head shall determine whether the program is job-related and shall approve the leave subject to scheduling, staffing, and budget considerations.

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Last Modified Mar 7, 2008