How Do I Get My Company to Pay for Professional Development and Training?

What is Professional Development?

Professional Development (PD) refers to the training and learning opportunities that help you advance your career. Whether through courses, workshops, conferences, or certifications, PD allows you to develop new skills, stay current with industry trends, and commit to lifelong learning.

Why Should a Company Pay for Professional Development?

Employers benefit from investing in their employees’ professional development because it improves performance and increases engagement. When a company invests in its team, it ensures that employees remain skilled and competitive. Companies that prioritize training stand out in their industries and can market their workforce as knowledgeable and certified professionals. On the flip side, if a company doesn’t invest in its people, it may signal a lack of commitment to employee growth and development.

How Do You Ask for Professional Development?

Convincing your manager to sponsor your professional development can feel daunting, but with a strategic approach, you can present a case that’s hard to refuse. Here’s how to position your request for success:

1. Start With Researching Programs

Before approaching your boss, thoroughly research the professional development programs you're interested in. Be ready to discuss the cost, duration, time commitments, and learning outcomes. Know how it will benefit both your career and your company, and think about how you will demonstrate a return on investment (ROI) for the company.

To begin your research, ask yourself these key questions:

• What skills will I develop, and how will they help me in my career?
• How will this training benefit my company’s operations or bottom line?
• Can I learn these skills through other means (like in-house training or mentorship)?
• Do I have enough time to commit to this training?

Having a good idea of the answers to these questions will help you craft a stronger proposal and defend the costs of training or professional certification.

LSU Online & Continuing Education offers an easy way to research programs by your specific interest.

2. Discover Your Company's Written Policies

Many companies have written policies around professional development and training. Review your employee handbook or speak with your HR department to understand your company’s stance. If other employees have participated in similar programs, reach out to them to learn how they secured approval.

If paperwork is required for the training request, complete as much as you can beforehand. This helps streamline the process for your manager and makes it easier for them to support your request.

3. Frame the Request Around the Benefit to Your Company

One of the most critical steps is making the case for how the training will benefit your company. Your manager wants a clear understanding of what’s in it for them. Show how your new skills will improve your performance and help the company save time, reduce errors, or even generate new revenue.

Examples include:

• Increasing efficiency, allowing you to complete tasks faster and more accurately.
• Learning best practices that can be applied to streamline current workflows.
• Gaining leadership or management skills that will help you support your team more effectively.

Be specific in linking the skills you’ll gain during the training program to measurable improvements for the company.

4. Prepare for Potential Questions

When presenting your case, be prepared to address your manager’s potential concerns. Here are a few key questions to expect:

How expensive is the training?

This will likely be the first question you will need to answer. You should be prepared to explain the costs of the program. Include any additional costs, like travel, lodgings, registration fees, and meal expenses. You will also want to research if there are payment options, group discounts, or financial aid.

One way to benchmark the cost of training is to pull prices of less desirable training alternatives. This will help the person approving the cost understand if they are overpaying, paying market value, or getting a deal. You should be honest when talking about what you'd pay if you had to pay out-of-pocket. If the training advances your career beyond your current role, it may be worth splitting costs with your company.

How will it benefit the company directly?

Your manager needs to understand the direct business benefits of your training. Will you improve productivity? Gain skills that fill a gap in your team? Expand the company’s capacity to take on more business? Tie your answer to specific business outcomes.

The following are strong examples (with more details) of how to communicate company value:

• I'm going to use my new skills to help this company grow and be more efficient.
• I will learn about the different ways we can do [specific tasks] better.
• I will learn how to make decisions based on data.
• I will learn leadership skills or management techniques.

What is the ROI on this investment?

Many companies are willing to invest in employee training if there’s a clear vision of how it will pay off. Explain how the new skills will save time, reduce costs, or generate revenue. For example, if your training allows you to streamline a process, you may save your company the cost of hiring more people. Would your training help your team take on more business and grow sales? This is another common way to prove value.

Planning ahead and anticipating questions like these will help you get approval from your manager.

5. Make a Specific Request

Once you’ve completed your research, prepare a formal request. You can initiate the conversation with a professional email that includes key factors like:

• Start Date
• Registration Deadlines
• Duration
• Cost
• Link with more information

End your email with a strong ROI statement like the following:

"If the company pays for this [name of training program], I estimate that we will not only decrease employee benefit costs by X, but we will also be able to offer better coverage to staff, improve our position in the industry, help with employee recruitment and retention, and reduce employee turnover and those related costs."

You may not always be able to provide your company with an exact dollar amount when you make a pitch, but you should be able to show them how much time they could save if they invest in your professional development.

In your email, ask for time to discuss your proposed training in person. You can make it clear you have done additional research if they have any follow-up questions. Remember that leadership is often evaluating the professional development program as well as the plan the employees have proposed.

Email Template

Subject: Request to Discuss Professional Development Opportunity

Hi [Supervisor’s Name],

I hope you’re doing well. I’ve been exploring options to further develop my skills and came across a professional development program that I believe would benefit my work and my team at [Company Name].

The [Program Name] from [Program’s University] is available through LSU Online & Continuing Education. It focuses on [briefly mention key topics or skills] and costs [$XXXX] for [duration].

Here is the program link for more information: [Insert link].

I'd like to discuss any potential for company funding for this opportunity, along with our professional development policies. If the company pays for this [Name of Training Program], we will also be able to [explain how it will improve your work and bring value to the team, or describe how you will extend the value of the program].

Could we schedule a time to chat more about this? I’m available [suggest dates/times].

Thank you for considering this request. I’m excited about the chance to bring even more value to our team through this training.

Best,
[Your Name]

6. Follow-Up Plan 

Budget constraints might limit your company’s ability to approve every request, but you can make your case stand out by offering a plan to share your learning with others. Create a follow-up plan that proposes ways to extend the value of your training, such as:

• Plan a 1:1 presentation for your boss on potential changes to consider after your training
• Hosting a presentation for your team to share key takeaways
• Writing a report on how to apply what you've learned to current projects
• Developing a guide or training materials for other team members

This follow-up plan demonstrates a commitment to maximizing the company’s investment and reinforces your leadership potential.

What Professional Development Options Are Available Through LSU Online & Continuing Education?

LSU Online & Continuing Education offers a wide range of professional development courses and certificate programs. Whether you're looking to advance in business, technology, or data analytics, we offer online or face-to-face options to suit your needs. After completing a certificate program, you will also receive a digital badge to display on your resume, LinkedIn profile, or website. Browse our professional development catalog to see all of the courses and certificate programs available through LSU Online & Continuing Education.

Does Your Company Need Help Setting Up a Professional Development Program?

Studies show that tuition reimbursement programs have proven to lead to 144% ROI at companies like Discover (via Lumina Foundation) - lowering absenteeism and turnover and increasing promotions, transfers and retention. If your company is interested in setting up or expanding its professional development program, LSU Online & Continuing Education can help. Discover how partnering with LSU can support your company’s growth.