Negotiating? These 5 tips could help you to see success in the workplace

As obvious as it sounds, you have to know what you want to learn. Have a look at the courses or qualifications commonly found in your industry. A good place to start is the ‘requirements’ section of job postings. 

Read all the testimonials you can find for courses you’re considering. You want to make sure that you’re choosing reputable companies for your own sake, but also to strengthen your argument when you eventually bring your request to your manager. 

Does your company have a certain stance on education in the workplace? Maybe you already know of potential opportunities offered through your HR department? 

Working from home has served as a much-needed reminder for many people that there is more to life than just working, and as a result, many companies are looking to expand their employee benefits through discounts to education or additional ‘perks’. If this is the case for you, could any of these existing opportunities suit you

You’ve figured out what you want to learn, and now you have a better understanding of how you think your workplace will respond to your request. This means it’s time for you to put together a pitch, and formally ask your work to fund a course or programme for you.

The biggest question you need to answer here is Why your work should fund this education. Will the skills you learn be invaluable to your future work? Will you be able to take on greater responsibilities? Try to prove the benefits your work will get from the education as much as you can.

Now that you’ve done all the prep work, it’s time to talk to your work about your request. Not only will this start the process, but it should also help lift any guilt you might be feeling about using work hours to learn.

Think of this discussion as any other work request - it’s nothing out of the ordinary, and you should never be penalised for exploring possible opportunities. For more tips on the process, read this Watson article written by Olga: ‘Why you shouldn’t just pay attention to your wages when choosing a job’

Hopefully, your meeting has gone well by now, and you have the sign-off to begin learning (yay!). This isn’t where the process ends, however. After your course, make sure to show your workplace the value of your new learning. Implement it into your next project, and make sure your manager can see how it has helped you to succeed at your work.

The more that you can show the value of your education, the easier it will be to access it in the future. This applies to you, but also to future employees. After all, the changes you help make today will have an impact on future generations. Who knows, because of you, your workplace might even offer further educational opportunities or resources permanently!