Finance Division

Financial Literacy Training

To support you in carrying out your financial responsibilities, you will have been auto enrolled in e-learning and have received an email notification of your courses to complete.

Our financial literacy programme is tailored to meet individuals needs through a suite of courses. We've developed the following learning methods designed around the needs of our staff:

  • training guides to provide an alternative training method to e-learning
  • e-learning courses (accessed via the same LearnUpon platform as existing University e-learning)
  • face-to-face training tailored to ensure relevant staff get the depth of understanding required for their roles, particularly those with significant delegated financial management responsibility.

Please see our Finance training requirements and recommendations for staff with financial responsibility [PDF 123.97KB]


Training guides

*Please note: These guides are currently undergoing a review but are still available to access*


E-learning

 LearnUpon works best when using Google Chrome:

  • enter your username and password on the LearnUpon system, making sure it is in the following format: ano123@sussex.ac.uk
  • enrol on a course but haven't received an auto-enrolment email, contact the finance service desk.

E-learning module objectives, content and duration

*Please note: These e-learning courses are currently undergoing a review but are still available to access*

Finance Essentials

This is for all staff with access to the Finance System. It provides a general introduction to finance at the University of Sussex and is a prerequisite for other more specific finance training.

 At the end of this course you should understand:

  • the regulatory environment within which the University operates, and what this means for financial governance and manangement in the University
  • how the University ensures it meets its external requirements
  • the financial responsibilities of University staff and other individuals
  • the importance of the coding structure and what it represents for recording income and expenditure
  • where to find further information, training and advice to support you in carrying out the finance related aspects of your role.

The average length of time it takes to complete this course is 20 minutes.

Using the Finance System

This is for all staff who have access to the Finance System. This is a 10-minute video which will show you the basic navigation for using the Finance System and builds on the knowledge from the 'Finance Essentials' e-learning course. At the end of this course you should be able to:

  • log-in and navigate through the Finance System
  • use Forgot your password
  • create favourites
  • use the Type Ahead feature
  • find further information, training and advice to help you complete the financial requirements of your role.
Purchasing Goods and Services

This course is for all staff who buy goods and services on behalf of the University. It covers all aspects of purchasing goods and services including:

  • the University's policy and procedures
  • the preferred ways to pay
  • how to ensure that invoices are paid with the minimum of effort
  • how to use the Finance System to raise requisitions.

This course builds on the knowledge from the 'Finance Essentials' and 'Using the Finance System' e-learning courses. At the end of this course you should:

  • understand the University's policy and guidance for purchasing goods and services
  • understand the preferred way to pay for what you need
  • know how to use the Finance System to place, track and receipt orders
  • know how to find further information, training and advice to support you in carrying out the finance related aspects of your role.

The average length of time it takes to complete this course is 55 minutes.

Travel and Working Away from Base, Hospitality and Out of Pocket Expenses

This course is for all staff likely to travel on University business or incur out of pocket expenses. It covers:

  • the University's policy and procedures
  • what and how to pay for your travel
  • entertainment and related items
  • using the Finance System and mobile application to reclaim your out of pocket expenses.

This course builds on the knowledge from the 'Finance Essentials' and 'Using the Finance System' e-learning courses. At the end of this course you should:

  • understand the preferred way to pay for what you need
  • know how to enter an out of pocket claim onto the Finance System and track progress of your claim
  • understand the University's policy and guidance for: travel and working away from base; business entertainment and hospitality for staff, students and visitors; professional subscriptions and memberships and payments to volunteers and job candidates
  • know how to find further information, training and advice to support you in carrying out the finance-related aspects of your role.

The average length of time it takes to complete this course is 40 minutes.

Authorising Expenditure

This course is essential for all staff who authorise expenditure on behalf of the University. It covers:

  • best practice
  • what to check when you are authorising
  • how to use the Finance System (including the approval application for mobile devices).

This course builds upon the knowledge from the 'Finance Essentials', 'Using the Finance System', 'Travel and Working Away From Base, Hospitality and Out of Pocket Expenses' and 'Purchasing Goods and Services' e-learning courses.

At the end of this course you should:

  • understand the importance of the authorisation process to good financial management across the University
  • understand the different situations in which you will need to authorise expenditure
  • know how to use the Finance System to authorise expenditure
  • know how to find further information, training and advice to support you in carrying out the finance related aspects of your role.

The average length of time it takes to complete this course is 20 minutes.

Using the Finance System to Bring in Income

This course is for all staff who raise sales orders on behalf of the University. It covers:

  • the University's policy and procedures
  • how to use the Finance System to raise sales orders and track the status of sales orders.

This course builds on the knowledge from the 'Finance Essentials' and 'Using the Finance System' e-learning courses. At the end of this course you should understand:

  • the primary sources of the University's income
  • the purpose of sales orders and credit notes
  • how debt recovery works and the implications for budget management with regard to relevant regulations, policies and procedures
  • how to enter sales invoices and credit notes on the Finance System and track invoices for receipt of income
  • where to find further information, training and advice to support you in carrying out the finance related aspects of your role.

The average length of time it takes to complete this course is 20 minutes.

Finance Budget Reports

If you are a budget holder you will have been enrolled on this course which focuses on how staff can use the finance system to stay on top of their budgets. If you haven’t been enrolled on the course and you would like access to it, please contact our Finance Service Desk.

 At the end of this course you should:

  • Know how to carry out effective budget management
  • Know which financial management reports are available on the Finance System
  • Understand the purpose of the reports and when to use them
  • Know how to get help

The average length of time it takes to complete this course is 30 minutes.

Introduction to Counter-Fraud

This e-learning package will be helpful for anybody working at the University of Sussex in any role. 

Anybody can commit fraud, and everyone can help identify and reduce the risk of it.

After completing this course, you should: 

Modern Slavery

Modern slavery and human trafficking are now a global issue and to combat this issue UK legislation has come into force. This legislation applies to all UK organisations (including universities) with a turnover in excess of £36 million to ensure that no organisations unwittingly use slave labour in their supply chains.

This course provides an overview of what modern slavery is, including how to spot the signs and share your concerns. This course is particularly relevant for any staff involved in purchasing or authorising purchases on behalf of the University and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.

When you have finished this course you will be able to:

  • Define what activities constitute human trafficking and slavery
  • List the key features of the Modern Slavery Act
  • Identify areas of risk or concern within the supply chain.
Anti Money Laundering

Although universities are not covered by the Anti Money Laundering regulations it is best practice for all businesses to adopt the regulations to protect and prevent financial crime. Also individuals, such as you, do have a personal responsibility under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

This course will help you to understand the legislation governing money laundering, what the main offences are and the primary defences. It  will also help you to consider the practical steps you can take to limit the risk of money laundering and understand how the University will respond to concerns of money laundering.

Having sufficient knowledge about money laundering can help you prepare against it and ensure that the University remains financially secure at all times.

This course will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. When you have finished this course you will be able to:

  • Define money laundering
  • Understand what money laundering looks like in the University
  • Understand the implications of money laundering for you and the University
  • What to do if you suspect money laundering and the University’s risk based approach.
PCI DSS Awareness - Course 1

Payment (credit or debit) card fraud is a growing industry and there are expectations on those taking payments to protect card holder data at all times in line with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). This is the first course of two, to support those staff handling payment card data and to provide the background on PCI DSS and its importance.

This course was provided at no cost to the University and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.

When you have finished this course you will be able to:

  • Recognise the importance of protecting card data
  • Understand your responsibility under the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard
  • Know how to report a problem related to card data processing
PCI DSS Awareness - Course 2

This is the second course of two, building on the knowledge that you have gained from PCI DSS Awareness Training Course 1. This course focuses on the individual methods of card payments, the safe handling of card data and the importance of checking payment devices prior to use.

This course was provided at no cost to the University and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.

When you have finished this course you will be able to:

  • Understand what a face to face payment is
  • Know how to check the device prior to payment
  • Be able to use and store devices securely
  • Be aware of potential threats