How to get your employer to pay for a PMP certification training course?

Training courses, conferences, certifications, webinars, industry literature and much more – nowadays the opportunities for employees in terms of both personal (soft skills) and professional development (hard skills) are almost endless. People employed in various industries are eager to take advantage of different types of offers as they know full well that this is how they build their competitiveness on the labor market in dynamically changing times. Sometimes, however, the barrier preventing the acquisition of additional competencies is the cost of training – this may be the case with PMP certification. In such a situation, it is worth convincing your employer to finance your course. How can you do this?

PMP certification – table of contents:

1. Prepare well
2. Implement more successful projects
3. Be recognized
4. Train other people
5. Sign a loyalty agreement
6. Choose the right moment
7. Summary

Prepare well

Do you work in a place where your employer has a planned training budget in advance? If so, you are definitely lucky, because all you have to do is to show how the PMP certification preparation course relates to your daily work duties. When the company doesn’t have a growth-oriented organizational culture, your task becomes much more difficult and requires proper preparation for the conversation with the employer. What arguments should appear on your list?

Implement more successful projects

The basic rule you need to remember about every time you try to get an employer to finance your course – the employer needs to see a benefit in it. Think about how theoretical and practical knowledge you gain will help the company in its daily operations. Perhaps it will translate into lower costs of project implementation, better team cooperation, fewer mistakes or better project control – it all depends on what situations have happened so far (it’s best to refer to real-life examples in your argumentation).

What’s more, it’s worth mentioning that taking the PMP certification training course will allow you to implement more successful projects not only in terms of organization, but also in terms of quality (e.g., by being inspired by other projects you learned about during the training).

Be recognized

The PMP certification is regarded around the world as the best proof that an employee of a given company has the right skills to manage projects and finish them successfully. An employer always likes to hear concrete numbers, so it’s useful to refer to how many professionals around the world have this certification (more than a million at this point), how widespread it is or how long it has been honored.

Of course, the certification exam itself is not the same as the preparatory course, but it will certainly let you be recognized by employees (current and future), customers and partners. Both external and internal employees will see that you have the required skills and knowledge of proven project management methods, which will have a positive impact on the reputation of the company as a whole.

Train other people

Having a person on the team who has done the PMP certification training course translates into benefits not only in terms of business or image, but also in terms of developing other employees. After the course, the trainee can share their knowledge and experience with others, bringing a new quality to the entire project team.

Sign a loyalty agreement

If the ways mentioned above don’t work, you always have another option: sign a so-called loyalty agreement in exchange for covering the cost of the PMP certification training course. Under such an agreement, the employer pays for your training, and you declare that for the period of time indicated in the agreement, you will not break it.

For the employer, this is a profitable solution, because they are made sure that you will stay with the company for a certain period, using the acquired skills in practice. At the same time, this type of contract usually has a provision that in the event of termination of the employment relationship before the end of a given period, the costs incurred are to be reimbursed.

As you can see, a loyalty contract is very beneficial from the employer’s point of view – you may be able to convince them to invest in your development in this way. However, do not opt for this form when you plan to change your job before the end of the contract.

Choose the right moment

Finally, we can give you one more tip that many people forget about – choose the right moment. The best time to talk about financing your training is during your annual or semi-annual performance review. If your company does not conduct such reviews, choose a moment after the completion of your project. Point out the mistakes you could have avoided thanks to the training.

What’s more, ask about the possibility of financing, even if you are able to cover the cost of both the training course and the PMP exam yourself. You won’t lose anything if you don’t convince your employer, and in case you are successful, you’ll be able to enjoy the money you saved.

PMP certification – summary

You can present all the arguments to your employer both verbally and in writing. Make sure that your request sounds like a good investment for your employer. Remember to provide them with details of the training (form, program, number of hours, etc.) or other materials from the organizer that will clearly demonstrate the benefits of taking it.

You’ve just read about the PMP certification. Read also:What is asynchronous communication?

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