See how to get extra training at work through a personal development plan which you and your manager create together!
Should You Ask Your Employer For Lifelong Learning At Work?
YES!!!!!!
Lifelong learning is learning you do by choice after you leave education. That means that opportunities for lifelong learning aren’t served to you on a plate (unfortunately).
In many cases, if you want to boost your professional development at work, you have to ask.
A performance review with your manager is the perfect time to ask for extra training as part of your lifelong learning. If they don’t suggest it, you can ask for a personal development plan, too!
Here are some steps to get you going…
Research your employer’s careers website
Even though you are already in your job, check your employer’s early careers website to see if it talks about opportunities for extra training. This will give you a better idea of what your employer might be able to offer once you have a conversation about your personal and professional development.
If your employer doesn’t mention anything on their careers website, see what competitor employers (who offer a similar service or product) offer by way of lifelong learning on their career websites. It could give you a better idea of what to ask for (and expect).
Keep up to date with the latest company news
Sometimes you can hear about tasty opportunities for lifelong learning on the grapevine. Perhaps your employer has a company newsletter that talks about opportunities like first aid courses, becoming a fire marshall, or volunteering days. If you hear of an opportunity that interests you, tell your manager. These are all opportunities to boost your knowledge, skillset, confidence and CV.
Ask a co-worker
If you’re not sure, you can ask a co-worker or manager if there have been lifelong learning opportunities in the past. You could learn about some interesting opportunities, and it is a soft way of showing that you are interested in stepping up and getting extra training.
Got a performance review coming up? Prepare in advance
You will typically get scheduled performance reviews with your manager. This is a great time to ask for extra training and support to boost your skills!
If you are a hard worker who is enthusiastic and keen to learn, the employer wants to keep you. They also want you to keep getting better at your job, so they can give you more responsibility! It is in their interests to give you training to improve. You can’t be expected to know everything straight away and improving takes time!
However, they might not want to spend extra training money on someone who is always bored, late, and obviously not trying hard. So bear in mind it’s probably better to ask your employer for extra training and support if you know you have been giving a good impression of being keen and doing your best.
If you have a performance review coming up, prepare in advance by thinking about which skills you would like to improve or learn, and why this would benefit the company (as well as you). This will help your manager understand how you want to develop in your role, and it will help them find opportunities and courses for you if they don’t already have the resources.
Talk to your manager about creating a personal development plan
A personal development plan is a plan for your future which you and your work manager create together. It looks at your personal goals, potential ways to achieve them, any challenges you might be facing, and how achieving your goals (e.g. picking up a new skill or studying for a new qualification) could boost your personal growth, love of the job AND your productivity and performance.
Remember, your employer might have lots of training opportunity that you don’t know about yet. They might also be able to fund your learning if they agree it would help the business as well as your personal growth.
Some examples of what you could ask for include…
- Additional training alongside your work
- A qualification to study for (there are lots of online and part-time courses out there, and some of them are even free – a win-win situation for you AND your employer!)
- Mentoring from someone else in the company
With lifelong learning, you have to ask before you get…
… But it’s always okay to ask!
Remember that the employer wants you to feel happy, motivated, and confident in your performance. Extra training helps with all of that.
Remember that performance reviews are specially designed as safe spaces for you to ask for extra support and training if you want it.
Even mentioning the idea of a personal development plan to your employer shows that you are serious about your personal and professional growth, and are worth investing in.
Remember that every new skill you learn and every new qualification you get helps you grow. If the employer offers you training in something you haven’t thought about before, take it! It’s free learning, and could come in very useful one day.
If you feel shy asking your manager face to face, you could send an email requesting extra support. You can also talk to each other by email to arrange a face to face chat, as this gives you more time to prepare what you want to say and ask for.
Finally, as one of our volunteer Youth Ambassadors says… “Ask away, it won’t do any harm. Your boss will be pleased to see you taking the initiative!”
Written with thanks to our volunteer Youth Ambassadors for their youth-led insights.
Lifelong Learning See all student advice
