Did You Know? Many Companies Offer Employee Development Funds
Many companies provide employees with development funds or have dedicated training budgets to support professional growth. These programs are often considered a key benefit, designed to help employees expand their skills and stay competitive in an evolving workforce. However, despite nearly half of companies offering education reimbursement, only 40% of employees in organizations with reimbursement programs are aware of the funds and opportunities available to them. And, only 2% actually participate.*
If you're interested in advancing your skills—especially in areas like AI or other emerging technologies—it's worth asking your manager if there are funds you can access for training. Below is a sample letter you can use to inquire about potential reimbursement for training courses.
Here's a start of an email you may want to send to your manager.
Hi [Manager’s Name],
I’ve been thinking about how I can continue developing my skills to better support the team -- especially with the advent of AI. I found a workshop <insert name> offered by The-Prompt.ai. It looks like a great opportunity to dive into AI tools like ChatGPT and learn how to use them in ways that would help me be more productive and creative in my role.
I believe this training could help me streamline some of the tasks I handle, improving efficiency and freeing up time to focus on more strategic work. On the creative side, AI has the potential to help me approach problem-solving and innovation from new angles, adding even more value to what we do as a team.
The course costs [$X], and I’d like to attend it on [date]. I’d be happy to share key takeaways with the team afterward so we can explore how AI might benefit our work.
Do you think there’s a chance the company could help cover this through an employee development fund or another training budget?
Thank you. Let me know what you think!