To be eligible for reimbursement, the courses must be directly related to Hitchiner employment and must be taken after normal working hours. Employees who work at least twenty hours per week and have at least three months of company service may have their application approved by the company for enrollment in a company-related course. An Educational Assistance Form is available from the Human Resources Office. Approvals must be obtained before you start the course. An employee who has been with the company for less than three months is not eligible to apply. Approval will not be granted for courses where it is obvious that the training will only be used for employment elsewhere and the company will not receive benefit from the investment. When you enroll in the course, you will pay the tuition and other expenses. After you successfully complete the course with a grade of at least "C," you will be reimbursed for tuition, books, and fees. You must submit receipts satisfactory to Hitchiner prior to a reimbursement being made. A grade of at least "B" is required in graduate school and all graduate level courses are taxable.
Employees who are approaching retirement age may decide to take courses to develop new hobbies, home maintenance skills, new careers, etc. Hitchiner will pay for such courses even though such courses are not related to the employee's job. This is generally a taxable benefit. The following rules apply:
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The educational
assistance program is intended to be mutually beneficial for the company
and active employees. Up to $1,500
per year for Undergraduate courses and up to $2,500 per year for
Graduate courses, the educational assistance program provides 100% reimbursement for tuition, books,
and required fees for courses taken at an
accredited institution including colleges, technical schools, and other types
of post-high school learning institutions.