Help – I need to ask my Employer if I can attend a Training Workshop.

Let’s explore what it may mean to nominate yourself for a training workshop or any other learning and development initiatives or training interventions that you are interested in.

First before you do anything else, find out if your Employer has a policy on how it organises and supports the learning and development needs of its employees.  You may find your answer within the policy.

If you can’t find the answer or there isn’t a policy in place, the next step could be to have a chat with your Line Manager. They may guide you on how to put some information together to support your learning need(s) and request.

This information should aim to help your Employer determine that it makes sense to support you in your request to attend the Workshop.  Here’s a caveat though, by going through the process of gathering the information, you may come to realise that what first appeared to make sense, now needs a rethink and perhaps another approach.

• Find out details about the Workshop, including the costs associated with you attending.
• Think about why you want to attend and how this helps you in your role.
• Identify the benefits this brings to your team and your organisation.

Here’s a scenario that uses a Nomination Form as a way of capturing information. The nomination form has been created for the purpose of this article and could be adapted to meet your organisation’s key requirements.

Scenario

Pat has seen an advertisement for a 1-day Workshop, priced at £299 about improving empathy in the workplace. The event is taking place nearby and is targeted at Supervisory / First Line Manager roles. Pat instinctively feels it’s a good fit and thinks it would greatly enhance their skills.

Pat needs to convince their Line Manager to support a request to attend. The Workshop is due to take place 2 months from now. Pat mentions the Workshop to the Line Manager and as expected the Line Manager suggests that Pat completes a nomination form.

Questions on the nomination form need to be answered by Pat and by going through the process both Pat and the Line Manager have an opportunity to consider the case for learning which includes the costs and potential benefits.

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👉 Click on this link to see Pat’s completed nomination form: Nomination Form for Employee Training for Pat

 Note the nomination form on view is a free to use resource provided by Growth Learning and Development – Click here for a blank form and try it for yourself.

🤔 If you were Pat’s Line Manager, would you support this nomination request?

This article has been written by Mandy Serra, Growth Learning and Development, (Originally published February 16, 2024 and revised May 15, 2026). To find out more about Mandy’s services click here