Responsibilities

Employees are expected to:

1. Identify career development opportunities and actively participate in creating their own career development plans;
2. work collaboratively with their manager in the development, documentation and implementation of performance and career development goals;
3. communicate with managers on career development progress and needs;
4. identify career development opportunities which advance job-related skills and expertise and/or future career aspirations, and communicate those opportunities to managers;
5. participate in approved career development, education and training programs;
6. be accountable for their career decisions and for the effective use of the skills and expertise gained through career development opportunities;
7. be responsible and accountable for ensuring the completeness of their online career development record;
8. participate in required training.

Managers are expected to:

1. Identify career development opportunities and partner with employees in creating employee career development plans;
2. motivate, encourage and support employees in their career development by facilitating access to learning opportunities;
3. offer career development opportunities in a consistent, reasonable and non-discriminatory manner;
4. consider the strengths, talents, and interests of employees, as well as current and anticipated institutional needs, in creating career development plans;
5. consider and approve requests for career development opportunities;
6. provide clear expectations in creating career development plans with employees, as well as effective coaching as such plans are developed; and
7. manage, provide and maintain an open and respectful workplace that encourages and sustains employee career development.

VCU Human Resources is expected to:

1. Emphasize, publicize, and support career development opportunities;
2. provide tools and resources to support and track career development and to enhance manager and employee performance through career development opportunities;
3. Provide access to manager training for equipping managers to facilitate productive career development planning sessions;
4. identify and make available, consistent with available resources, career development, education, and training programs at all levels of university employment;
5. evaluate the effectiveness of career development initiatives, revise and augment those initiatives as necessary, and assure compliance with this policy and all related policies governing occupational, career development, education and training programs at all levels of university employment;
6. provide online tools that allow for ease of reporting regarding participation in career development opportunities, and
7. create, access and report on relevant career development data and metrics.

HR professionals are expected to:

1. promote and support participation in career development opportunities;
2. foster and support career development conversations between managers and employees; and
3. assist in providing tools and resources to support career development and to enhance manager and employee performance through career development opportunities.

University leadership is expected to:

1. Provide the resources, to the maximum extent possible, to implement this policy;
2. hold Human Resources, managers, and employees accountable for making career development a university priority; and
3. hold managers accountable for conducting career development conversations between managers and employees;
4. promote and support career development opportunities.