With the government budget funded at least for the short term, agencies can breathe a small sigh of relief and begin making plans for beyond September 30. While most would agree training is a critical piece of getting and keeping a motivated and informed workforce, it still tends to be an "easy" line item cut especially in times of uncertainty.
Whether you are in charge of setting a training budget or simply seeking to get approval for yourself to attend an event, there are several ways you can work to get the funding you need. Here are a few tips:
- Tie it to the mission. Be prepared to show not only how this training will benefit you, but how it will advance the mission of the agency. Will getting up to speed on the latest cloud technology help you better use the tech investments the organization has already made? Will a workshop on communication skills help the overall goals around citizen experience? Be sure to tie the content of the event to a mission critical challenge of the agency or organization.[Tweet "Show how the training will advance the mission of the agency. #GovEventsBlog"]
- Present options. Training is more about the content rather than the venue. Don't get stuck on, "I have to go to this specific show." Look for several options at varying price points where you could get similar information. Explain the differences in costs and the benefits of each event. (Shameless plug, GovEvents is a great resource for looking for these options.)
- Pay it forward. Offer to share the insights and information you learned with others in the organization. Set up a brownbag lunch where you can debrief others in the organization on the key takeaways. With this, the organization is getting a much wider benefit - training multiple employees for the price of one.[Tweet "Pay it forward -- debrief others within the agency on the key takeaways. #GovEventsBlog"]
- Develop content. Ask your communications team if you could contribute a blog post, video, or provide live social media posts based on your event attendance. Communication departments are almost always looking for more contributors to share insights on issues that matter to employees and constituents alike. If you're able to provide valuable and needed content, the communications team may even be willing/able to fund part of your attendance (never hurts to ask).[Tweet "Tips to Getting Your Agency to Say "Yes" to Training. #GovEventsBlog"]
We'd love to hear from you. What techniques have you used to ensure you and your team get the right budget for training needs? Let us know in the comments.
