Educational leave of absence with pay may be granted to employees under the conditions specified in this Section. In order to be granted educational leave of absence with pay employees must submit on the prescribed form a request to the appointing authority contain­ing all information required to evaluate the request. The County may, after approval of an employee’s application, grant leave of absence with pay for a maximum of 65 working days during any 52 biweekly pay periods for the purpose of attending a formal training or educational course of study. Eligibility for such leaves will be limited to employees with at least 13 biweekly pay periods of continuous service and who are not extra help, temporary or seasonal. Such leaves will be granted only in cases where there is a reasonable expectation that the employee’s work performance or value to the County will be enhanced as a result of the course of study. Courses taken as part of a program of study for a college undergraduate or graduate degree will be evaluated individually for job-relatedness under the above described criteria. The employee must agree in writing to continue working for the County for at least the following minimum periods of time after expiration of the leave of absence: