SPD Travel and Virtual Training

Travel Objectives

• Provide opportunities for employees to become involved in educational experiences and professional activities that are relevant to assigned responsibilities.
• Provide support needed by full-time employees because of their service as a state, regional or national officer of a professional organization. The services to be rendered should relate to the mission, vision and goals of the College and to the duties and responsibilities of the requester at Seminole State.

Travel Guidelines

SPD guidelines exist to assist in extending the limited funds to support as much travel as possible. SPD support may not exceed fifty percent (50 percent) of the travel cost. The maximum reimbursement, per full-time individual, per fiscal year, for any combination of professional study, travel, and online learning/training is $2,500. The maximum reimbursement per part-time employee (excluding student employees-who are ineligible) is $1,000 per fiscal year, for any combination of professional study, travel, and online learning/training.

• Full-time employees (Bargaining and Non-Bargaining) must have been employed full-time for at least six (6) continuous months prior to applying for funding.
• Part-time personnel must meet the following requirements in order to be eligible for SPD travel reimbursement. These requirements must be met prior to each request:
  • Part-time instructional employees must be employed at the College and must have at least 225 contact hours (equivalent of one term of hours for a full-time college credit instructor: 15 hour-load x 15 weeks in a term) within a two-year period prior to applying for funding.
  • Part-time non-instructional employees, excluding student employees, must have completed 600 hours of employment within a two-year period prior to applying for funding. Student employment positions are ineligible for SPD travel and professional study funding.
  • Part-time employees who are employed in both instructional and non-instructional non-student positions will need to work the minimum required hours within a two-year period prior to applying for funding. The hours in each category will be weighted to determine if this criterion is met. Example: An employee who works 56.25 instructional hours, which is 25 percent of the 225-hour requirement, and 450 non-instructional non-student employment hours, which is 75 percent of the 600-hour requirement, will be considered to have met the requirement because the combination equals 100 percent of the minimum requirement.
  • The Executive Team may grant special consideration to employees who do not meet these requirements, provided that the study and training activities are immediately needed for College responsibilities.

Virtual Training Objective

• Provide opportunities for employees to engage in college or department-supported online learning and training activities related to assigned responsibilities.

Virtual Training Guidelines

Employees may request financial support for job-related Virtual Training activities requested by their supervisor.  All requests may not exceed fifty percent (50%) of the cost paid by Seminole State College.  The maximum reimbursement, per full-time individual, per fiscal year, for any combination of professional study, travel, and online learning/training is $2,500. The maximum reimbursement per part-time employee (excluding student employees-who are ineligible) is $1,000 per fiscal year, for any combination of professional study, travel, and online training/learning.

• Full-time employees (Bargaining and Non-Bargaining) must have been employed full-time for at least six (6) continuous months prior to applying for funding.
• Part-time personnel must meet the following requirements in order to be eligible for SPD virtual training. These requirements must be met prior to each request:
  • Part-time instructional employees must be employed at the College and must have at least 225 contact hours (equivalent of one term of hours for a full-time college credit instructor: 15 hour-load x 15 weeks in a term) within a two-year period prior to applying for funding.
  • Part-time non-instructional employees, excluding student employees, must have completed 600 hours of employment within a two-year period prior to applying for funding. Student employment positions are ineligible for SPD travel and professional study funding.
  • Part-time employees who are employed in both instructional and non-instructional non-student positions will need to work the minimum required hours within a two-year period prior to applying for funding. The hours in each category will be weighted to determine if this criterion is met. Example: An employee who works 56.25 instructional hours, which is 25 percent of the 225-hour requirement, and 450 non-instructional non-student employment hours, which is 75 percent of the 600-hour requirement, will be considered to have met the requirement because the combination equals 100 percent of the minimum requirement.
  • The Executive Team may grant special consideration to employees who do not meet these requirements, provided that the study and training activities are immediately needed for College responsibilities.

Procedures

• Bargaining and Non-Bargaining employees may attend college or department-supported conferences, virtual trainings, workshops or webinars for the purpose of updating knowledge and skills as it pertains to their College position.
• All requests must be submitted by completing the Travel/Virtual Training Authorizationform before the travel or the virtual training begins.
• Employees should minimize costs by seeking cost-effective online programs or programs at the closest location with the least expensive registration and lowest fares.
• Support is not intended to pay dues or ordinary expenses for a professional organizational membership, but is intended to cover travel costs for out-of-state, regional, national, or international meetings, or virtual training which are not otherwise covered by the organization.
• Travel outside the contiguous United States requires documentation of travel benefits and requires the approval of the President and the District Board of Trustees.
• Requests for travel and virtual training must be submitted to the Finance and Accounting department prior to the training event (see online Travel Manual). 
• Reimbursement is not guaranteed until approved by the Vice President.
• All pertinent travel and virtual training information should be included in the request, including itineraries, activity descriptions, costs, registration costs, etc.