Fortune 500 companies retain star employees in part by offering professional education. They view the money spent as an investment rather than a cost, according to the University Continuing Education Association. Offering a full range of training and development opportunities -- like short courses, presentations, certificate programs, counseling and more -- UC Davis supports this view, administrators say.

"The philosophy that guides UC Davis is that training and development is an important investment in our employees and our mission," says Dennis Shimek, senior associate vice chancellor of Human Resources.

"Training is not a secondary aspect of employment; it is a critical component that responds to both individual and institutional needs. Particularly in times of change, training becomes even more important."

Staff have a breadth of programs to hone their talents and develop their careers.

Staff Development & Professional Services offers focused courses that build specific skill sets. UC Davis Extension, meanwhile, offers longer courses with in-depth programs; and Training and Development funds provide additional support for specialized needs.

SD&PS

Staff Development & Professional Services continues to be recognized across UC for its quantity, quality and relevance, says Carina Celesia Moore, manager of SD&PS. The training and development resource offers programs at no cost to employees or their departments.

Courses are generally short and are tailored to address skills and knowledge in the context of UC Davis practices, policies and procedures. "The courses feature experts from within the campus community and pull from consultants outside of the university to bring practical tools UC Davis staff can apply immediately," Moore says.

This year, SD&PS has created several certificate series that address the needs of campus departments. The new UC Davis Business Officer Certificate Series complements the UC system's Business Officer Institute. Others include the Talent Management Certificate Series and the Train the Trainer Certificate Series.

Also part of SD&PS, the popular lunch-time Health Awareness Program regularly draws up to 90 people to the Silo's Cabernet room for topics like "Fung Shui for Your Office Space" and "Wheeling Your Way to Good Health." And technology courses in Power-Point, Excel, Word, InDesign and other software give participants practical experience with software they can use on the job.

SP&DS also offers a career management program and a Career Catalyst Brown Bag Series, so staff can tune-up their resumes, explore their skill sets and aptitudes, and receive help with job searches. "We encourage staff to manage their careers even when they feel they don't need it," Moore says.

A complete list of all SD&PS courses is available at http://sdps.ucdavis.edu.

UC Davis Extension

With 70,000 enrollments each year, UC Davis Extension offers more than 500 professional and continuing education courses a year. Courses are open to the public; and custom training for organizations is offered.

"Extension programs are an effective complement to the programs offered through Staff Development & Professional Services," says Dennis Pendleton, dean of UC Davis Extension. "Together our units provide a comprehensive array of continuing and professional education for UC Davis employees."

For example, for employees who have completed the SD&PS supervisory courses, UCDE offers expanded training in supervisory skills and management development programs, as well as the UC Davis Executive Program. Staff who have taken project management courses through SP&DS can take additional UCDE courses and even earn a Project Management Certificate.

UC Davis Extension has been adding more business and technology integration courses, daytime programs and distance-learning classes to its portfolio. Extension also is redesigning its Information Technology certificate program so students can customize a certificate.

UCDE also offers custom training to meet the needs of individual campus departments. In the past year, UCDE has designed leadership programs for department chairs on campus, and the UC Davis Primary Care Network. UCDE has also provided a five-day leadership program to the UC Davis Health System, reaching nearly 200 doctors, nurses, and technical and administrative staff.

Employees also can take advantage of the Open Campus/concurrent program. It allows enrollment in most undergraduate and graduate courses without formal application to the university. Additionally, employees receive a 20 percent discount on extension courses. And they can also receive a 50 percent discount when they enroll three or fewer working days prior to the course start date when space is still available.

For more, visit http://www.extension.ucdavis.edu.

Development and training funds

Each year, development and training funds are allocated to deans and vice chancellors, who make decisions on how best to use those funds to develop their staff. Individuals might apply for the funds to finance outside training; or the department might spend the funds for unit-wide, in-house training. To learn more about these funds, employees can contact their department's human resources representative.

In addition, Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Fee Assistance funds are available for career staff with a minimum of one year of service, who wish to take courses supporting their career goals not related to their current job position. Call (530) 752-9683 or (916) 734-2676 for more information.