• Employees may, of course, enrol for any course at their own expense which does not impinge on their duties. One-day courses (or those of fewer than four days duration in total) are covered by the Library’s normal course application process.
• Eligible costs covered include course fees, examination fees and agreed travel expenses
• It will be at the discretion of the Library’s Leadership Team whether the making-up of time for courses (including exams) held during normal working hours is required. Where it is required, the practical arrangements for so doing will be determined by the applicant's Directorate Management Team (DMT) in the context of service requirements. The reasons for granting or withholding of time off or of pay backs of time off will be made clear to applicants
• The Library will adhere to any over-riding conditions relating to courses, training, etc which may be introduced by the University of Manchester.

The Library has developed and (working in partnership with the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures) delivers the University’s MA in Library and Archive Studies. In order to support Library staff who demonstrate the potential for leadership and management roles, and a high motivation to progress in their careers, a small number of scholarships will be available every two years outside of the normal Sustained Study process.

• 2.1 Applications will be invited from all Library staff at the appropriate time and will be considered by the Library’s Executive Team
• 2.2 The Library will manage any operational impact for the taught element of the MA, but additional study will need to be undertaken in staff’s own time

The Library's prime purpose is to provide quality services to its users. Priority will therefore be given to applications which match one or more of the following categories, in descending order of importance:

• 3.1 The course is aligned with the Library's I2030 strategic plan
• 3.2 The course is one which the individual has been asked to attend by his/her Head of Department (on the advice of the individual's line manager); staff will normally be required to attend such courses
• 3.3 The course is, in the opinion of the relevant Associate Director (on the advice of the individual's line manager), directly relevant to the execution of the applicant's existing duties
• 3.4 The course is, in the opinion of the relevant Associate Director (on the advice of the individual's line manager), directly relevant to the execution of the applicant's realistically likely future duties
• 3.5 The course is, in the opinion of the relevant Associate Director (on the advice of the individual's line manager), beneficial to the applicant's general career development.

Initial conversations should be held within DMTs and decisions on applications will be made by the Library Leadership Team. Applicants will be informed of the category under which decisions have been taken or the reasons as to why the application could not be supported.

• 4.1 Applications are invited from Library Staff (part or full-time) who have completed at least one calendar year of employment in the Library at the start of the course. Cases will be judged by the Library Leadership Team on their merits and not primarily on the relative length of service of the applicants. In certain cases where salaries are paid by third parties through contracts with the University of Manchester, it may be necessary to obtain the permission of these parties before permission for leave of absence can be granted
• 4.2 Applications for funding or absence should be submitted in writing using the Library’s normal Course Application form. Before submitting this application, candidates should discuss their plans with their line-manager and DMT. On the application form, full details should be provided of the course's title, content, location, total duration, total cost, implications for attendance at work and the reasons why the applicant believes that it will be of benefit both to him or her as an employee of the Library and to the Library's users. The application should clearly state whether fees and/or time-off is being requested. Applications will be assessed twice a year (March and September) but please give sufficient time for your request to be reviewed by DMTs and the Library Leadership Team before the start of the course. 
• 4.3 Applications will be considered by the Library’s Leadership Team twice per year, in March and September
• 4.4 Approval will be for the duration of the course. Staff do not need to resubmit an application for each year of their course (subject to the Library not being required by the University or external funding source to make substantial unforeseen cuts to its overall expenditure)
• 4.5 New members of Library staff will not necessarily receive any support for courses to which they are already committed on appointment. However, in appropriate cases, the Library reserves the right to support such employees even though they have been employed for less than a year (as per 4.1 above) in the Library
• 4.6 Where any dispute arises over the interpretation of this policy, the applicant should initially make his or her case known in writing to the University Librarian.

• 5.1 Reports of unsatisfactory course attendance or performance will result in withdrawal of the award and may necessitate the refunding of fees and/or time off by the recipient. The Library reserves the right to solicit progress reports from course providers
• 5.2 Any recipient of funding or time-off may be required to provide a report of their progress to their DMT and/or to appropriate staff on the outcome of their studies
• 5.3 The Library reserves the right to reclaim fees and expenses paid to employees to pursue courses of study in instances where the employee resigns his or her post within two years of completion of the said course.