Career Ladder

A Career Ladder is a process designed to formally progress a staff employee to a higher level of job responsibility within his/her current position. Since the employee and the manager work together to progressively advance to the higher level of responsibility, there is no need for a competitive posting process. The Career Ladder is basically a department-driven process, with 3 basic preconditions: 1) the department must have a genuine need for the higher level work; 2) the target position classification must be available for Career Ladders; 3) the employee must be both interested in the higher level work and able to demonstrate the potential to perform it successfully.

Career Ladder Benefits

Employees:

• Can develop new skills and competencies at your own pace and in your current job.
• Can advance to a higher level of responsibility without competition and without moving to a different work unit.
• Can demonstrate initiative and willingness to work to further department and University goals.

Managers and Supervisors:

• Can retain valued employees who are motivated to advance their careers.
• Can attract high quality employees with the opportunity to advance within their positions.
• Can develop well-trained employees who have high morale.
• Can provide a higher level of quality and service to your clients.

Eligibility Criteria

An employee meets eligibility requirements for a Career Ladder if s/he:

• Is a regular (full or part-time) member of staff who is past the probationary employment period
• Is in a position that is classified at a level below that of true management
• Was rated "Meets Expectations" or better on his/her most recent performance evaluation
• Is not currently under performance management or disciplinary action
• Has not already completed two successive Career Ladders without an intervening competitive position change (see Vertical Career Ladders for more.)