STAFF TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

Hillcrest Educational Centers’ Workforce Learning Department provides a learning and development process that promotes quality of programs, student and family successes, and professional and personal growth of staff. The training delivered meets or exceeds federal, state and agency compliance requirements, as well as accreditation standards.

New Staff Orientation:
All staff are required to attend and successfully complete New Staff Orientation prior to assuming their respective duties and responsibilities of their position at Hillcrest Educational Centers. New Staff Orientation is intended to welcome the employee and provide them with an introduction to the organization and the services it provides, as well as comply with the training and development requirements of federal and state regulatory agencies and accreditation bodies. New Staff Orientation is comprised of four main components including Federal, State and Agency Compliance Training, Skills for Life and Crisis Prevention/Intervention Training, and First Aid, CPR, and AED Certification.

Following New Staff Orientation, all staff participate in an on site orientation program on the campus/site to which they are assigned. The purpose of on site orientation is to acquaint the new staff with the physical setting of the site, introduce them to key on site personnel, review safety procedures specific to the site, provide a description of the programs and services, discuss the population served, review the routines and schedules of the site, deliver additional compliance training topics, and cover the specific duties and responsibilities of the new staff’s respective jobs.

On Going Compliance Training:
All direct care staff are required to participate in at least 24 hours of training each year. On going mandatory training includes all federal, state and agency compliance topics, as well as accreditation required topics. The frequency and length of time for on going
mandatory training is based on regulation or standard. Specific job duties and responsibilities require additional on going mandatory training in areas identified by regulation or standards.

HEC staff that does not fulfill in-service training requirements may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination.

LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM TRAINING

Hillcrest Educational Centers provides learning activities to support employee development to meet the needs of individuals served, to enhance professional skills and assist in career development goals.

As part of our commitment to staff learning and development, we provide online courses within a learning management system (LMS). Employees are given access to online courses via a secure user name and password.

Mandatory Training and Education
Hillcrest Educational Centers requires mandatory training for all employees that meet or exceed
licensing regulations and accreditation standards. Mandatory training and other agency requirements are listed with specific due dates on the employee’s training plan. Employees access their training plan within the learning management system.

All mandatory training is expected to be completed on or before the “required by” date. Non-exempt (generally hourly) employees will be paid their regular rates for completion of online learning. Residential staff are expected to complete their online learning within their short week. Opportunities will be made available for night staff to complete their on line training during the shift. Non-exempt staff must have supervisory pre-approval to complete online learning that will generate overtime pay. Exempt employees may complete the training outside their regular scheduled hours, at their discretion, but will not receive any additional compensation or time off.

Timely completion of training will be part of an employee’s performance evaluation. Employees will not be eligible for raises, promotions or other compensation until all required training is completed. Completion of required training does not guarantee raises, promotion or other compensation or in any way alters the “at will” status of employment.

Recommended Training and Education
A supervisor may recommend specific online courses as a performance improvement activity or
as part of an employee’s professional development or the employee may request permission to take specific courses. Time spent on online courses that are taken with supervisory pre-approval will be compensated as described in the Mandatory Training and Education section of this
policy.

Elective Training and Education
The learning management system provides a library of professional online courses on a variety of behavioral health and human service topics. Employees may, at their own discretion, take online courses for professional development or personal interest at no cost. Employees choosing to take online courses at their own discretion, as electives, must do so on their own time and will not be compensated for their time.

LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM USE POLICY

HEC employs the use of a Learning Management System to perform workforce learning functions including, but not limited to, scheduling of in-person and on-line coursework, delivery of on-line coursework and reporting of compliance with state, federal, agency, and accreditation required training.

Prior to accessing the Learning Management System all staff are required read, sign and agree to abide by the Hillcrest Education Centers Learning Management System Use Policy.
Employees must agree to the following:
• I am responsible for any actions that are conducted using my Hillcrest Educational
Centers Learning Management System account.
• I will not allow anyone else, including but not limited to, family members, friends,
classmates, and/or colleagues, to use my account, or take the course tests on my behalf.
• I also agree that I will abide by the following guidelines:
• Never disclose my user name or password.
• Never use another person’s user name or password.
• Always sign off the system when finished and will never leave a terminal unattended while I am logged onto the learning management system.
• Never allow anyone who does not have an authorized user name and password to access any of the on line courses. Material may be copyrighted, and therefore it may be illegal to
copy or use the material outside of our organization.

Enforcement
Acts, or the condoning of acts, which achieve or attempt to achieve the unauthorized use of
Hillcrest Educational Centers Leaning Management System resources, or the unauthorized use or copying of data is prohibited. Examples of unauthorized use or copying include but are not limited to, attempts to alter systems, attempts to circumvent systems protection features, attempts to alter or destroy course and test data, attempts of unauthorized access or copying of course and test data or software, attempts to release data or software that has not been previously authorized.

Failure to abide by the Hillcrest Educational Centers Learning Management System Use Policy will result in discipline up to and including termination of employment.

EVALUATION POLICY

New staff are evaluated after completion of the introductory period, and annually thereafter.

Human Resources will notify Program Directors monthly of evaluations that are due.
Supervisors must access the training database to determine if staff has met training requirements.
The training record must be attached to the evaluation and returned to the Human Resources
Department for tracking and filing.

 

MANDATORY MEETINGS

Employees are paid for attending mandatory meetings.