Continuing education is a major lever for professional growth. It allows you to acquire new skills, stay up to date in your field, and advance in your position. Discover how to structure your letter to convince your employer to fund a training program.
Why request training from your employer?
The benefits of training for you, the employee
Continuing education is ideal for perfecting your expertise or learning a new trade.
It will enable you to acquire new skills, improve your performance and, potentially, gain promotion!
Benefits for your employer
And on the corporate side? Investing in training is a genuine talent retention and skills development strategy. By training their employees, employers strengthen their internal capabilities, encourage loyalty and increase their competitiveness.
GOOD TO KNOW
In Switzerland, companies often cover all or part of training costs. Some organizations even provide funding for employee development through collective agreements.
How can I obtain financing for professional training?
To obtain funding for your training, you need to prove the relevance of your project.
Here are the essential elements you need to include to structure your sales pitch when applying for funding:
- Present the training course, detailing its content, the training organization, the duration and, of course, the budget. Make sure it's relevant to your current or future missions.
- Highlight the benefits: show in concrete terms how this training will enable you to improve certain aspects of your work. Explain the benefits for the company and how it contributes to common objectives.
- Anticipate the organization: project the organization you propose to your employer during your absence.
GOOD TO KNOW
To support your request, try to provide quantified results and testimonials from former‧ne-s participants, who have the same profile as you.
How to write your training request letter
To maximize the impact of your training request, your sales pitch needs to be clear and structured.
Here are a few key elements:
- Header and subject: include your contact details, the date, and specify the subject, e.g. “Request for professional training”.
- Training presentation: describe the name of the training course, the training organization, the duration and the planned dates. Don't forget the budget and financing arrangements, if any.
- Motivation statement: explain why this training is important to you and how it will contribute to your progress within the company. Talk about your future organization.
- Benefits to the company: demonstrate how this training will enhance your skills and put them to work for the company.Request an appointment: propose a meeting to discuss financing and practical details.
GOOD TO KNOW
Some companies have agreements with training organizations to offer preferential rates to their employees. Ask your human resources department about current partnerships.
Practical tips for a successful training application letter
A few tips that will make all the difference:
- Stay concise and direct: get straight to the point and make your motivation clear.
- Use a respectful, professional tone: no blackmail, no innuendo! Your request must reflect your commitment.
- Emphasize the direct and present benefits for the employer: companies appreciate training requests that correspond to their priorities.
GOOD TO KNOW
Some companies have training funds allocated to employees for continuing education. If this is not the case, you can explore cantonal or federal co-financing options to support part of the training costs.
Copy and paste training request letter template
Use this template to formulate your request in a clear and structured manner:
[First and last name]
[Address]
[Phone number]
[E-mail address]
[Company name]
[Company address]
[Date]
Subject: Request for professional training
Dear [Name of person in charge],
As [your position] at [company name], I'm keen to develop my skills so that I can make an effective contribution to our team's objectives. To this end, I would like to take the [name of training course] offered by [organization], lasting [duration].
The budget is [budget] and the payment terms are as follows: [terms].
This training would enable me to acquire skills in [specify the skill or field], which would be an asset for [briefly describe the practical application for the company].
For example, I could [describe a concrete example such as “optimizing our reporting processes” or “reinforcing the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns”].
I'm convinced that this training will bring real added value to my work within the team, in particular by [mention a beneficial improvement for the company].
I'd be happy to arrange a meeting with you to discuss the matter.
I thank you for your attention to my request and remain at your disposal for any further information.
Yours sincerely
[Signature]
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