Do enough research before asking your boss about funding for your studies
WONDERING how to approach your boss about funding your studies? Start by doing your homework. If you’re going to ask for funding for your professional development, make sure you’ve done your research first.
You need to be able to justify exactly why your selected course is the best option for you, and how this will improve your performance at work or positively impact the organisation.
If you need some guidance, call the educational institution to assist you with information relating to the course and its career impact. Do this before approaching your boss.
Next, check if your company has any tuition assistance policies or training funds available.
Your HR department should be able to answer this and give you instructions on how to go about applying for funding support.
If not, you’ll need to present your boss with a persuasive argument as to why the company should contribute to your studies.
Explain tangible benefits to your organisation. Do some thinking around how the skills you would learn through the course will directly improve a process or aspect of the organisation that clearly needs improving.
Ask yourself the following questions: How will the course you choose complement your current role? How will learning these new skills positively influence your work performance?
At the end of the day, it’s all about the bottom line. Think of ways where you might be able to show savings and a higher quality of work as a result of the course you intend doing.
Make a list of the ways that your organisation, and particularly your team or colleagues, will benefit from your new skills:
You will add increased value to your team, driving a more innovative and professional approach to your work and empowering those around you with new insights and knowledge;
You will be able to take on new projects and generate additional revenue for the organisation, either through offering a new service or increasing efficiency;
You’ll be able to introduce up-to-date methods and adopt the latest industry tools and knowledge to ensure the company is operating in line with best practice;
In some cases, you’ll be able to take on a strong leadership or management role, where it is needed; and
You can mentor new employees, and train your team members with your new skills.
After you’ve done your research, send your boss an e-mail or set up a meeting to discuss your professional development opportunities.
To show your boss that you’re really serious about your professional development, you could suggest contributing a portion of the course costs out of your salary.
This proves you are convinced that this is a highly valuable investment, and could prompt your boss to pay in full. I take my career at COMPANY NAME very seriously and would like to discuss my professional development opportunities with you.
I have done a substantial amount of research around potential training options that would be good for me, and add to the pool of skills in our team.
I believe that COURSE NAME would impact both my career and the organisation positively and would like to discuss the possibility of COMPANY NAME assisting with the course fees.
The course is COURSE NAME. I’m interested in this course because:
I strongly believe that these skills are extremely relevant to my job responsibilities, and learning these skills would improve my performance and output.
The course is practical and industry-aligned, which At the end, it’s a great investment for both of you.
Claire Jowell writes on behalf of GetSmarter, an online education company.
For more information, visit www.GetSmarter.co.za. will allow me to have an immediate impact on the work I do on a day-to-day basis.
I want to master the most up-to-date tools and practices in this field, so that I can foster an innovative and competitive approach to our work.
I would like to bring forward recommendations and suggestions to our work processes to ensure continual improvement and boost our organisation’s performance.
This course will in no way interfere with my usual work and performance. INSTITUTION NAME accredits it, so there is no question about the quality of education I would receive in acquiring these new skills.
I would be happy to keep you updated with what I am learning throughout the course and share my knowledge with our team, perhaps in a series of presentations, to ensure COMPANY NAME receives maximum benefit from my new learnings. Please let me know when would be a convenient time to chat. Kind regards YOUR NAME