There is budget for your training, you just need the right approach

Skilledup.com

Have you cursed your manager after being declined when you requested to take a class or attend a conference?

Have you been the victim of the classic “We don’t have the budget”? If you have heard these crushing words, you are not alone. With today’s post, I am going to share with you how to get your company to pay for those classes that will move your career in the right direction.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to be the guest of Ander Frischer’s podcast at Skilledup.com. On the podcast, we talked about a couple of things including:

• How to explain to your manager you don’t know how to do something when assigned a new project.
• How to receive more opportunity and more projects.
• How to not only convince your manager to pay classes and seminars you are interested in, but get them to suggest classes to you.

Jedi mind trick you ask? Does the thought “These are not the classes you are looking for” come to mind?

The background:

For those not familiar, I have a degree in HR and have worked in HR for most of my professional career. Working in HR, I spent a number of years in Training and Development at a Fortune 300 company delivering and facilitating classes to managers and executives on everything from interviewing to management training, to facilitation skills to diversity/sensitivity. (Yeah, I was one of those guys) I think I have an idea on how to get companies and managers to pay for courses. I not only approved class rosters but was also sent away for weeks at a time to become certified to facilitate topics so the material could be brought in-house and delivered at scale. Blah, blah, blah.  There is relevance, trust me. 

A good friend introduced me to Skilledup.com and then made an introduction to Ander thinking “We should meet”. (Networking at work folks and thank you Stu Keikland!)

Skilledup.com is a great resource that offers online courses. These courses are not your typical “how to weave baskets underwater” classes. This site was built to help employees find online courses and increase skill sets so we as employees could increase worth to employers. Some classes cost a few bucks and others are free. This podcast is free to listen to and I think it will help if you are interested in getting your company to pay for training and education.

And no, I wasn’t paid for the session, and I am not being paid for the post. No free swag of any sort. If you have read any of these prior posts, you know what I am trying to do here and Ander and Skilledup.com share a very similar vision.

Give employees and candidates the tools to be successful. It makes employees better and in turn companies stronger.

Most companies don’t have the time, resources, or knowledge to empower employees and this is a great alternative that allows the employee to do what I preach all the time on this blog. Take control of your career. 

I have a decent commute every day and end up listening to a lot of podcasts. I have quite a bit to compare to and I really like Anders style. He has an extensive background in broadcasting and it shows. Not only did he bring in a ton of equipment in hard Pelican cases, Ander sets a great stage, keeps the program moving, and knows how to make the guest feel welcome and (in my humble opinion) sound good.

The proof of this is that he perfectly captured the point I was trying to articulate when he confirmed the following:  “Thinking about it from your managers perspective. . . is ultimately what counts”. Yeah, exactly, “what he said”.  He is good.

So, if you want to learn about how to make increase your skill set and make yourself more valuable to your employer, check out Skilledup.com. If you want to hear how HRNasty gets his classes and seminars approved, check out the podcast by clicking here. If you have techniques you have employed to convince your manager to pay for your classes, please share them below. 

See you at the after party,

HRNasty

nasty: an unreal maneuver of incredible technique, something that is ridiculously good, tricky and manipulative but with a result that can’t help but be admired, a phrase used to describe someone who is good at something. “He has a nasty forkball”.

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