Company Sponsored Training

[susans]

The topic this week is on training.  A DeskDemon visitor, Laura sent in an email telling me how she has trouble getting approval for conferences from her manager.  The manager’s other reports, who are of a higher level, can go to seminars and conferences regardless of the cost.   This had me thinking about training and wondering if it happens to others.  I know I had this same problem at one company when I was an admin.

Does your manager support you taking a class, seminar, conferences?  Do you feel you have the same priorities as others in asking for classes, seminars or confernces?   How often do you get training?  If your manager does  support training, do you take it?  Have you ever had a boss that wont let you get the training you deserver, if so how did you handle it.  Sound off on your thoughts about training.

[suis]

I work for a manager that has 5 direct reports.  The other 4 reports are all managers.   They get to go to conferences that, get to stay at nice hotels, get to fly business class, me... I get to go to a Skill Path or a seminar as long as it is in expensive.   I have asked to go to a conference such as the Annual Forum from Office Dynamics or the IAAP and APC conferences.  Not only do they say "too expensive" I would never get approval for hotel.  Maybe one day they will come to my area and I will be able to get approval.

One day I gave my manager the brochure for the APC conference he returned to me with the skill path brochure and acted all helpful and thought he was all that and a bag of chips for suggesting an alternative.

[JessW]

You have to pay for training?  Well, golly gee.  Didn't realise that (pleas note sarcasm!)

I am still awaiting training on CC Connect (left that job a year and a half ago) and MSS (will be leaving this job at the end of the week).  Also never been trained on Groupwise (as for MSS), ... well you get the idea.

I have always had to find 'free' training for myself or rely on the genius of others (like here) to find out how to do things.

Oh give me a work where the boss isn't a jerk...(sung to the tune of the buffalos roaming, or whatever it is called)

I do, however, feel that most bosses I have come across don't like paying for training for admins, pa's etc which they cannot immediately and directly get some sort of profit out of as the profession as a whole is considered to have already been trained to do it so why given them any more training.  I know, I am cynical.  Would love to meet a boss who can not only talk the talk but also walk the walk, so to speak.

Edited by jwaddington on 23/10/07 09:54 AM.

[Cathy S]

In my current role I get to go to internally provided free courses (not complaining I am due to do 3 days next month on extending Excel with Visual Basic and 2 days on Further Access databases - both for my interest rather than particularly for the job) BUT although there is money specifically for me to attend conferences, seminars etc, the attitude is that I don't need to for my job.  Now I could make a fuss to the funding source but that could make my daily life uncomfortable with my boss.

My previous company set up a training programme specifically for the admins, aimed at improving time management, team working (and most importantly in my view) self esteem - offering these soft skills courses was extremely unusual in all but big corporations or with Education employers at the time.  Sadly it didn't have as much impact as it could have done because management didn't get buy-in first and so too many people attended on sufferance and didn't get the full benefit.

[traudi]

I never got any Company Sponsored Training. My colleagues, software-developers, do. But I'm only the secretary, and, it seems, a second class employee.
"You have never heard of this? You better learn ít as quick as possible!" So I spend my leisure time and my money to learn.
You see, in Germany it is the same as everywhere else.

Traudi

[Atlanta Z3]

I spent six months of independent study to get my CPS, bought the study guides on my own dime and paid for the exam.  I submitted the expenses to my boss with my passing letter.  He approved but had to send it to the senior VP who denied it!  I had a vp and project manager who went to bat for me and got it approved.  I had to explain that my profession is admin and I didn't want to take a real estate broker class etc. - it was a property mangement company.  (I didn't think if I took those classes they would reimburse me.)
On the plus side they did have an internal university that offered classes - but they weren't anything that added value to a resume!
The ones that frost my flake are the tuition reimbursement programs, all classes have to relate to your job.  I completed a year long paralegal program - which in my mind is a direct correlation to an executive level assistant and should have been reimbursed.  I was open when taking the class that I did not have intentions of practicing as a paralegal, but was adding to my current skills with legal experience.  
My current company did reimburse me for my recertification fees for CPS, but I had the points pior to joining.  Now getting approval for classes to keep up the 90 points in the next five years will be a challenge.

[silvergirl]

My present company pays for seminars (mostly SkillPath), but they won't pay my IAAP dues.  My manger would pay, but the Senior HR guy doesn't see the value in it.

Before this job, I worked at Wal-Mart Home Office.  They have extensive training for their office workers, plus tuition reimbursement at the community college, and I believe, the University.

Some employers understand that life-long learning for the employees is essential for life-long survival of the company and some don't.  It's a good thing to consider when making a job change.