Times are tight. Though you may have found an online training program that will teach you the skills you need to get to the next level in your career or at your company, your boss may not want to pay for the training. With so many companies cutting their budgets and freezing spending, not many managers are open to what they see as "unnecessary" spending for employee training.
No matter how reluctant your boss is to spend the money, you can convince him (or her) to pay for your online training if you are persuasive enough. Here are a few tips:
Show How It Will Improve Your Performance
Online training is an investment -- for you and for your boss. In order to convince your boss to make that investment, you need to show what the reward will be. Make a case for how the training will have a direct impact on your job. Perhaps it's an SEO training course that will help you to improve your company's site ranking and increase traffic. Or maybe it's a training course on effective communication that will help you improve department relationships and provide better customer service.
The more specific you can be in showing how the training will improve your performance, the better the likelihood that you will get the approval you seek.
Offer to Train Others on What You Have Learned
You can provide more bang for your company's buck by offering to train your co-workers on the education that you get. You can present the concepts you've learned in a summary of your training, or you can create your own training module based on the knowledge you've gained.
Be careful that you do not violate any copyright rules. Do not use proprietary information or materials in your training. Focus instead on creating your own training.
Ask to Do the Training at Home
In addition to the financial investment, time may be an issue. There may be projects that require too much of your time to allow you the free time to complete the training. You can get around this obstacle by offering to complete the training on your own time at home. While you may not be getting paid for the time, you will be doing something that will pay off later.
Show Why the Program Is a Savings
There are usually many options for your online training. You can show that the program you have chosen offers savings over the other options available. In comparison to what else is available, you can make it seem like the program is a bargain-basement savings. You can make it seem like you'd be losing money if you didn't sign up for the program.
Secure Discounts
Some online training programs may offer scholarships, grants or discounts to some students. Find out what's available, and apply for whatever you can get. Whatever reduction you can get will help you to make your case more easily.
Training for workers may be tight in many companies, but you can use these tips to improve your chances of convincing your boss to let you get the online training you need. Start looking for opportunities today and get your pitch ready!
Guest Blog Contributor By-line:
Alexis Bonari contributed today's post. Her website is collegescholarships.org. She also writes guest posts for other websites and blogs.