Eligibility

·     In-Service courses are open to all employees regardless of classification or job title.  Individual agencies may elect to limit registrations in a way that best suits their organization.

·     Where agency requirements allow, employees should be encouraged to attend classes other than those directly related to their present position, in order to foster mobility and skill enhancement.

Registration

·     Agency registration forms are submitted by each agency’s Training Approval Officer (TAO) to the In-Service Training Program Coordinator.  Upon receipt of confirmation of seat reservations, TAOs will notify staff and supply maps & driving directions as appropriate. 

·     Staff should direct all questions regarding timelines and procedures to their agency TAO, as each agency has unique policies concerning the program. Don’t know who your TAO is?  Visit the InService website or call (860) 244-7614, or inquire in your Human Resources Department.

·     In most cases student names are not submitted with seat requests.  Each agency must keep track of which seats are associated with which staff members or departments, and staff should direct questions concerning seat reservation status to their TAO.

Attendance & Refund Policies

·     Once seats have been reserved for all classes, withdrawals and course substitutions are not allowed.

·     Agencies “own” reserved seats and are required to pay for reserved seats even if a staff member does not attend.

·     Before registering, students must be sure to check their schedules carefully and obtain supervisor’s permission to attend a course. 

·     If for any reason the the original registrant cannot attend, a substitute from the agency may be sent.  It is the responsibility of the original registrant and the agency Training Approval Officer (TAO) to identify and select the substitute.  No waiting lists for classes are generally kept by the In-Service Coordinator.

·     Participants must be careful to attend the correct course section and location as assigned.  Additional fees will be charged to agencies when non-registered staff attend courses.

·     We reserve the right to cancel any course with insufficient enrollment, during the initial registration period.  Course status will be communicated to Training Approval Officers at the conclusion of the registration period, along with the status of all seat reservations.

·     Inclement weather postponements:  Students should listen to radio and TV stations for individual college closings.  When in doubt students should call the college in question. Telephone numbers and detailed cancellation information is listed on each map in the map section.  When classes are held, students are expected to attend and no refunds or credits will be given for non-attendance.

·     When courses must be postponed due to inlement weather or unexpected instructor illness, Training Approval Officers will be notified by the college offering the course as soon as the college is aware of the situation.  If registrants cannot attend the new class date(s), the agency must notify the college right away.  If no notice is given at least 48 hours prior to the new course date, credit for a future course may not be issued.  NOTE: College representatives do not have student names or contact information prior to class and cannot contact students individually!

Billing Procedures

·     The Community College System Office handles registrations & billing centrally. 

·     Invoices will be prepared upon completion of the registration process.  We ask that all Invoices be processed and returned within thirty days.

·     Billing will be based upon the number of seats reserved for each agency.

Prerequisites

·     Prerequisites (if any) are included in course descriptions.  For computer courses especially, these are very important!  The learning of all participants is adversely affected by those who are unable to keep pace at the required skill level.  We strongly urge you to screen your employees for prerequisite skills!

Textbooks

·     In most cases textbooks are not required.  When they are, a note is included in the course decription and books will be available at an extra cost at the college bookstore. 

Certificate Requirements

·     To earn a certificate of completion, 100% participation is required for classes that meet for one day.  80% participation is required for more lengthy courses, if extenuating circumstances exist (illness, emergencies, etc.).  Each college may set more stringent (100%) attendance requirements for multi-session programs when necessary.

·     Certificates will be issued at the end of each course. Employees who leave at any point before the instructor ends the program will not be given a certificate.

·     CEUs are granted for most In-Service courses and are included on the certificate of completion.  One CEU measures 10 contact hours in class, so a course that includes 30 contact hours will be worth 3.0 CEUs.  Contact hours are measured in clock hours, and do not include lunch or coffee breaks.  In order to grant CEUs, each college must collect sufficient student data to enable them to track the student on our registration system.

Instructors

·     Instructor names and biographies are published in the catalog. We reserve the right to make instructor substitutions when necessary without notification, and we will not give refunds or allow course substitutions if substitutions are made.

Special Needs Students

·     If special accommodations are required for any individuals, the Training Approval Officer must contact Jane Williams at (860) 244-7614 at least four weeks in advance of the course.