Training and development budget is fundamental. Not only to the progress of the individual, but to the wider business, too. So when it’s all-round beneficial, why do we still find it such an awkward thing to ask for?

In this blog, we will arm you with everything you need to land that development budget.

1. Identify the right course.

There are a lot of training and development courses out there, and it can be hard to cut through the noise and strike gold. It’s essential to find a course that ticks the right boxes for your career progression and the business's objectives. At Huckletree, we curate our career accelerator, The Hundreds Club, around a specific domain. This way, the cohort get skills, intelligence, and technical know-how that’s super relevant to the needs of their industry. So, definitely find a course that accommodates your industry/domain instead of a generalist course.

2. Create a case they can’t say no to

Get together a comprehensive case for why this development training will enable you to make even more of an impact in your role. Things you might include are a forecasted return on investment for the training, an outline of the skills you’ll gain, and what exactly your ambitions are for using this new skillset. Remember - frame it around how this will benefit the wider business, as well as your own career development.

3. Reach out to HR

According to Bersin by Deloitte, an individual's average annual learning and development budget is £1,068. So, there’s a high chance this is already budgeted. Reach out to your company HR team and ask if there’s a policy regarding development budget to leverage in your case.

4. Timing is everything

We all know it’s easier to ask for things when people are in the right headspace. Catching your manager off guard when they’re busy or their mind is on something else won’t allow them to consider what you have to say. If you have a weekly 1:1, perhaps bring it up in that. It’s super key to also make sure you’re on top of everything currently on your workload so that you, too, are in the right headspace to elevate your career.

5. Be confident

You got this! Remember - you’re not the only one that will benefit from career development - your employers will, too. In his book “1,001 Ways to Engage Employees”, Bob Nelson PhD found the top driver of team member engagement to be development. It’s a win-win investment and one that you’re 100% entitled to ask for.

Now, let us save you some time researching the perfect career accelerator. The Hundreds Club is our sell out career accelerator, which runs four times a year, with each track dedicated to a specific domain. The first track of 2022, kicking off in March, is curated especially for Digital Product roles, and has the likes of Marty Cagan (Silicon Valley Product Group) and Chloe Hajnal-Corob (VP of Product, Trouva) on the impressive list of mentors. Tracks to come later in the year are Sustainability and Impact, PR and Comms, and Social Media and Influencer Marketing.