What do you do if your organization undervalues continuing education and its benefits?

Ultimately, YOU are responsible for YOUR career and personal advancement. Importantly, maintain a 6-month or 1-year check up on your career, financial, and personal health. This check up should include regular mental exercises to evaluate your existing skills and abilities, and your aspirational goals. Next, seek free to low-cost (first) skills training to match your top three desired outcomes. For instance, conferences usually include special classes and numerous networking opportunities. If those options are not available, make a personal $investment in training opportunities that directly relate to your desired outcomes. Gain certifications. By doing the work, that is, obtaining needed training, you will gain the win-win-win results.

As Jim Rohn famously stated, "We have to work harder on ourselves than we do on our jobs." First and foremost, assessing your current skills and knowledge gaps is crucial for self-awareness and understanding where you can improve. If your organization doesn't prioritize continuing education, take the initiative to seek it out independently. Whether it's through online courses, workshops, seminars, or networking events, there are numerous avenues for learning and development available outside of the workplace. Remember, growth is intentional, not accidental. By investing in your own education and skill development, you position yourself for greater opportunities and advancement in your career.

Key Factors for planning your learning journey: 1. What do you need to learn to help you perform better in the current role ? 2. What do you need to learn to help you be eligible for your desired future role ?

I believe that it's important to embrace continuous learning, particularly given how many quality resources are available. While self-driven individuals can excel independently, the smartest companies will invest in their people's development, enhancing skills and providing opportunities for often remote teams to connect around a shared purpose. If your organization underestimates this, be proactive about identifying your growth areas, and seek out learning opportunities. This approach ensures you stay ahead, personally and professionally, regardless of your company's educational policies.

Throughout my career, I have either heard the phrase, or said it myself...You don't know what you don't know. In instances where my organization does not find the value of continuing education, the answer can be found in education. I would equate it to the same instance a sales person finds themself in when talking to a customer about a product. The sales person is responsible for educating the customer about the benefits of the product and why it is the thing they need. As learning professionals, it is our responsibility to educate our stakeholders and uncover the why behind their trepidation, align the benefits with those misunderstandings, and position a product that makes sense for the needs of the organization.

The Internet is a free source for learning. You may visit YouTube, TedX & many other sites for learning. There are many other sites like Udemy where courses are available at a nominal cost. Do not depend on your employer all the time. Invest some of your money. It is worthwhile.

Investing in oneself is the most important factor not only for career development/ growth but for personal, mental and spiritual growth and well-being. First step is awareness about self. Take responsibility of your life. Employer has his/ her agenda clearly placed which will in most of the cases misaligned with individual. Self goals and priorities should be clearly pen down and NEVER forget that you are most important and creator of your own reality. Be creative, confident, acquire skills.Seeking support from Mentor and life coach can sometimes make difference.

Platforms like Coursera, edX, - LinkedIn Learning, and Udemy: These offer courses taught by industry experts on a wide range of topics. Many courses are free, or you can pay for a certificate to showcase on your LinkedIn profile or resume. - Look for webinars hosted by professional organizations or industry leaders. These often provide cutting-edge insights into your field. - A great way to learn on the go. Find podcasts that focus on your industry or professional development topics. They can provide valuable insights and introduce you to new ideas and trends.

Showcasing ROI and benefits is absolutely essential when it comes to learning and education programs. They need to know that what you wish to learn will actually impact not just your job, but also how will it benefit your team and the organisation as a whole. 1. Start small - Begin by proposing low-cost or free learning opportunities, such as webinars, online courses etc. 2. Share your experiences and insights with colleagues to inspire them to do the same. 3. Provide evidence of how investing in employee development can lead to increased productivity, innovation, and employee engagement.

To demonstrate the value of learning in an organization that undervalues it: 1. Align learning objectives with organizational goals. 2. Collect and present data to show the impact of learning initiatives. 3. Communicate success stories of individuals or teams who have benefited from learning. 4. Conduct pilot programs to test the effectiveness of learning initiatives. 5. Engage organizational leaders and emphasize the potential return on investment. 6. Leverage external resources such as research and case studies. 7. Start small and show results with focused learning initiatives. 8. Foster a learning culture by promoting continuous learning and knowledge sharing.

Demonstrate the power of learning: Make explainer videos on topics you're curious about. I created one on using the AI coach that's been built into PowerPoint to improve your speaking ability. I also created one on how to create easy explainer videos using ppt. and MS 365 built in tools and free graphics and I shared it with my entire organization. Get others excited about sharing their learning. Curate the best and most entertaining 'explainer' videos and repost and reshare them.

As one of my old friends used to tell me all the time, "nothing succeeds like success" :) Find the win/win and show your employer how valuable you gaining new skills is to _them_. Talk to your manager, and figure out a problem where you can be the solution. A demonstrated win speaks louder than ten thousand well written words. You can then use that little win to go get bigger ones. Have your company make a "little bet" (i.e. low risk) and show how it pays off. That's your basis for a larger push.

A good way to do this, if you have the time, is to form Learning Communities at work. Create a peer learning groups can 1. Help everyone share knowledge, ideas, and resources. 2. Showcase your own leadership skills 3. Help you network with others who have similar learning goals. 4. Be a cost-effective way to learn & support each other's development goals. Changing your company's policies is a tough task and will take 6 months or more to implement. So be prepared!

To advocate for a learning culture: 1. Illustrate the benefits of a learning culture. 2. Educate others about the positive impact of a learning culture. 3. Engage leadership and seek their support. 4. Start with a pilot program to demonstrate the benefits. 5. Communicate success stories of individuals or teams. 6. Provide resources and support for learning. 7. Lead by example and actively engage in professional development. 8. Foster a supportive environment that encourages learning. 9. Measure and communicate the impact of learning initiatives. By following these steps, you can effectively advocate for a learning culture and create an environment that values continuous learning and development.

Unless your company has a strong, genuine (!) learning culture, it’s best to be subtle at first. Begin by demonstrating the benefits of being a lifetime learner through your own actions and successes. Slowly share your experiences and actions with those immediately above and below you so they can enjoy being part of your support network. You can then gently encourage them to pick up their own learning journeys. Hopefully, your training department is already working to develop such programs. Be alert - not all companies, regardless of what they publicly say, actual want a learning culture to exist. If you wish to stay employed, you may need to tread carefully with such organizations. Sorry to say, but that’s the way it is in some places

If your organization has open social networks, you can build learning communities that focus on the areas you want to improve in: leadership development, project management, financial acumen, data analysis, etc.. If these networks exist, join them and ask for support on how to develop these skills. Do research and share what you've learned so you too can gradually become an expert. Recognize others for taking initiative in developing a growth mindset or when they share knowledge to others. Learning culture is built by modeling growth and building it in others.

Don't just look to your manager when it comes to learning opportunities. 1. Check if your company already has leadership development programs 2. Find out if the company sponsors or gives scholarships for learning programs 3. Write to people in different departments and network with them to figure if you can get a learning opportunity in a different team 4. Professional associations also offer resources and support for their members' development.

First be clear. Are we learning to be valued by Organisation or it’s for own self development? In case it is the first case then the start point or aim selected is wrong. We are upskilling ourselves to become more professional and knowledgeable. Relevance will automatically follow. When one will be perform better, add value to the work and be heard one has achieved the bigger aim. So invest on self learning at any cost!! It will never go waste.

Continuous education is essential for your personal and professional growth. If your organization does not value it, keep the following in mind: 1- Try to educate your management and colleagues on the benefits of continuous education. Show them how it can lead to increased productivity, innovation, and employee satisfaction. 2- Take the initiative to seek out educational opportunities on your own, such as online courses or workshops. 3- If all else fails, consider looking for a new job at a company that values continuous education. Your career development is your responsibility and ultimately in your hands. Work with an organization that supports your growth and development and it'll be one of your best career decisions.

To value continuing education, organizations should link learning to immediate business goals and highlight its ROI, showing short and long-term benefits. Implement pilot programs for tangible evidence of effectiveness. Promote a culture of lifelong learning to stay competitive and adapt to rapid technological changes. Develop metrics to measure training impact, like employee performance and satisfaction. By aligning education with business needs and using data to demonstrate its value, companies can foster innovation and maintain a competitive edge.

Continuous learning and development is essential for: 1. Adaptability: Continuous learning helps individuals and organizations stay relevant and adaptable in a rapidly changing world. 2. Performance and productivity: Learning and development initiatives enhance individual and team performance, leading to increased productivity and improved decision-making. 3. Talent engagement and retention: Prioritizing learning and development creates an attractive environment that engages employees and contributes to higher satisfaction and retention rates. 4. Organizational success: A culture of continuous learning and development drives competitiveness, customer satisfaction, and overall organizational success.

Education culture change/ enhancing employee experience “learning and career growth ) ↪️Change in your organization and you are the leader of this change , for successful follow this steps: 1- willing to change / improve your leadership skills and soft skills 2- Belief on the current pain \problems \challenge 3-Showcase of the POC”show me don’t tell me “ 4-Expand roadmap for delivery