tva logoTennessee Valley Authority

BUSINESS PRACTICE 19

External Training –
Employee Development

WHAT

As part of its continuous learning philosophy, TVA seeks to support employee training so that employees can fully contribute their talents to achieve TVA's vision and business objectives. In keeping with this objective, TVA encourages employees to participate in training activities so they may perform at their highest potential. This practice establishes the process for all employees who participate in External Training.

External Training includes training activities such as:

  • Seminars, workshops, and conferences.
  • Technical and nontechnical training.
  • Noncredit courses or activities that lead to continuing education units (CEUs).
  • Review courses in preparation for a professional exam.
  • Continuing education activities to maintain certifications or licenses.

External Training covers activities where development and learning takes place, skills are enhanced and/or knowledge is gained to improve performance and completed training would be entered into the employee's training record. These include:

  • Profession-specific and/or technical training to enhance and upgrade employee's knowledge, skills, and abilities.
  • Training to improve employee's professional, administrative, supervisory, managerial, or other related nontechnical skills to improve performance.

External Training does not include:

  • Activities that lead to an academic grade. (See Principles & Practices , Business Practice 18, Tuition Reimbursement )
  • Professional certification, exam, or membership fees. (See Employee Relations Policy , Reimbursement of Privilege Tax, Professional Membership, License, and Certification Fees )
  • Attendance at external meetings, seminars, conferences, or workshops that are job related but do not address a developmental/learning need. These activities would not be entered into the employee's training record.
  • Prepayment or payment of travel expenses, lodging, per diem, or transportation. (See TVA Travel Guidelines: Accounting Procedure 15 and COO Travel Guidelines)

WHO

This program applies to all employees.

WHY

  • Meets TVA's need for a highly skilled and knowledgeable workforce.
  • Promotes continuous improvement and lifelong learning.
  • Ensures employees have opportunities to increase their skills and knowledge

HOW

  • Employee and manager should discuss developmental/learning needs.
  • Employee and manager determine this developmental/learning need cannot be met through some part of the Employee Technical Training and Organizational Effectiveness (ETT&OE) system of service providers. Source to determine availability is the organization's representative on the ETT&OE Training Peer Team and the ETT&OE web site.
  • Employee and manager identify External Training vendor.
  • Employee identifies all expenses associated with External Training activity.
  • Manager approves expenses.
  • The organization approving the request for External Training is responsible for paying the approved expenses.

Payment/Reimbursement Methods

External Training expenses may be paid with:

  1. The employee's government travel card if the employee will be in temporary duty travel status during the training event. (See Credit Cards Business Practice #3 )
  2. The employee's personal credit card or check.
  3. A travel advance in rare financial hardship cases. (Lack of a government travel card should not constitute a financial hardship. The employee should contact Employee Accounting for procedures to obtain government travel card.)

Reimbursements for payments made by the employee may be requested:

  1. Up to six months in advance of the scheduled date of the training using the Expense Reimbursement System (ERS) - External Training Voucher.
  2. After completion of External Training activity using the ERS – Travel Voucher .

TVA Purchasing Credit Cards cannot be used for payment of any External Training expenses.

  1. Payment to vendor and reimbursement to employee for expenses prior to attending External Training activity using government travel credit card, personal credit card or personal check.
    1. Employee pays expenses using employee's government travel card, personal credit card, or personal check.
    2. After payment has been made, the employee may request reimbursement of expenses through ERS – External Training Voucher.
      • Complete all fields, including approving manager
      • Approving manager electronically approves expense request.
      • Requested amount is deposited in the employee's bank account within two working days of manager's approval.
  2. Payment of expenses prior to attending External Training activity requesting Advance Travel ( TVA 1038 ). This method of payment can only be used in rare financial hardship cases.
    1. Complete form TVA 1038, “Application for Travel Advance.”
    2. Travel Advance must be approved by the employee's manager and presented to an Agent Officer for payment.
    3. Agent Officer will issue a check in the employee's name for the approved amount.
    4. The employee then deposits the check into his/her personal banking account and sends the vendor a personal check.
    5. Agent Officer will send TVA 1038 to Employee Accounting.
      • Employee Accounting enters the advance into ERS and the system automatically collects the advanced amount due the employee when travel/External Training claim is entered into ERS.
      • Travel advances not collected within 30 days after completion of the travel will be collected by payroll deduction.
  3. Payment of External Training expenses after attending External Training activity.
    1. Request reimbursement of expenses through ERS – Travel Voucher.
    2. Under Other Expenses, complete the External Training section and submit to manager for approval.

Cancellation or Non-Attendance of External Training Activity

If an employee must cancel participation in the External Training event, for reason approved by their manager, and the employee has prepaid expenses and been reimbursed by TVA, it is the employee's responsibility to ensure TVA receives the refundable amount. If an employee needs assistance regarding refunds, he/she should contact Employee Accounting .

If the employee prepaid expenses using:

  1. Government travel card, the vendor will credit the employee's government travel card. The employee should contact Bank of America and ask a check be issued for the credited amount and then the employee refunds TVA.*
  2. Personal check or credit card, the vendor will either credit the employee's personal credit card or issue the employee a check for the refundable amount and then employee reimburses TVA.* (Personal check includes a personal check sent to vendor after employee receives a travel advance.)

*If the employee has been reimbursed for expenses, they should use ERS, selecting “Adjust Previously Paid Expense Voucher” to reimburse TVA the refunded amount. For assistance, select “Help” in the left navigation bar, then select either “Frequently Asked Questions” for text instructions or “Online Training” for interactive step-by-step instructions.

Reported Completion of External Training

Completion of External Training activity will be automatically reported in one of two ways:

  1. If the employee paid expenses and requested reimbursement prior to the training event, seven days from the ending date of the training, the employee's approving manager will be asked via e-mail to verify the employee completed the training. Upon verification by approving manager, completion will automatically be entered into TVA's Automated Training Information System (ATIS).
  2. If the employee requested reimbursement after attending the training, completion of the training will automatically be entered into ATIS upon manager's approval of expenses.

If the employee attends a training activity and no expenses are incurred, the employee completes TVA 17447 “Completed Training,” obtains manager's signature, and sends to the Employee Service Center for entry into ATIS.

ROLES and RESPONSIBILITIES

Employees

  • Comply with this practice.
  • Discuss developmental/learning needs with manager.
  • If developmental/learning need cannot be met through some part of the TVAU system of service providers, identify sources of External Training.
  • Employee receives manager's approval for participation and expenses associated with activity, and follows any organizational guidelines established for a formal approval process within that organization.
  • Employee pays expenses using the government travel card, personal credit card, or personal check. Employee requests reimbursement of paid expenses using ERS.
  • Employee may request a travel advance in a rare financial hardship case.
  • Employee may request reimbursement after the training has been completed using ERS.
  • If for any reason participation in the External Training event is canceled, the employee is responsible for ensuring TVA receives any refundable amount that is due.
  • Employee maintains all supporting documentation and receipts for the same duration that travel claim documentation is currently maintained in the employee's organization.
  • If no expenses are incurred, employee completes form TVA 17447, “Completed Training” for entry into ATIS.

Manager

  • Ensure employees comply with this practice.
  • Discuss developmental/learning needs with employee.
  • Ensure developmental/learning need is not already available through some part of the TVAU system of service providers.
  • Approve employee's participation and expenses and follow any organizational guidelines established for a formal approval process within that organization.
  • Electronically verify employee completed training.
  • If participation is canceled, ensure TVA receives any refundable amount due.
  • If no expenses are incurred from completed training, approve form TVA 17447, “Completed Training” for entry into ATIS.

ETT&OE Manager of Education and Outreach

  • Help employees determine if training needs can be met through some part of the TVAU system of service providers.
  • Answer questions from employees about TVA's External Training Business Practice.
  • Track and monitor the expenses and uses of External Training.

Employee Accounting

  • Process employee requests for reimbursement of External Training and related travel expenses entered through ERS.
  • Process travel advance requests.

Employee Service Center

 

RESOURCES

  • ETT&OE Staff
  • Employee Service Center
  • Human Resources
  • Employee Accounting

 

Last Revised 3/2004

 

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