Elizabeth HarrinDirector| RebelsGuideToPM.comLondon, England, United Kingdom
There are a whole host of conferences each autumn. I'm going to Synergy in the UK and the PMI Global Congress in Dallas. I'm interested to hear if other people's employers allow them to take time off work to attend learning events like these. Are you going to anything before the end of the year and how did you manage to get your boss pay your fees/give you time away from your desk? Saving Changes...
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Wai Mun KooPMO Director| Intergraph PP&MSingapore, Singapore
Elizabeth,
Time off is usually not a problem in our organization. However, if costs (e.g. travel expense and seminar fee etc.) are involved, then we will need to plan and prioritize properly as we have a limited budget allocated each year for the team to attend trainings and seminars. Saving Changes...
Anonymous
With all the cutbacks, Training is not supported unless it is done in house which is very limited. Most people cannot afford to attend the conferences without the support of the companies. Saving Changes...
Bill BiglerProject Scheduler| Booz Allen HamiltonCentreville, Va, United States
I have had very good success getting to one conference a year, usually the PMI Congress. Here are couple of steps that I do that I think contribute to my obtaining a trip;
1. I usually state the purpose with a bigger vision than just my position. For instance, almost every one of my purpose statements cites how it can benefit the whole team. Is there an exhibit or petting zoo?
2. Realistic budget, cut the rental car if not needed, use Government per diem rates, etc. Maybe get the client to pay for your hours or offer to take vacation.
3. Offer a bring home package, such as a CD of all of the papers, a briefing reviewing all of the papers, a review of new tools, etc. Saving Changes...
Elizabeth HarrinDirector| RebelsGuideToPM.comLondon, England, United Kingdom
Bill, I like the idea of a bring home package - thanks for that one! The commitment from management to give us time away from work works both ways; they need to know what they are getting out of it too. Saving Changes...
Instead of going to the training bring the training to your staff many more will benefit than just a small handful of individuals - certainly I know that many organisations no longer opt for external training courses especially when need to travel abroad, flights, accommodation, expenses huge expenditure that can be avoided. Your company must be doing extremely very well to spend the money despite the economic global recession! good luck.. Saving Changes...
Wai Mun KooPMO Director| Intergraph PP&MSingapore, Singapore
I agree with Vasoula. In times of economic downturn, bringing the training in-house would be a much economical approach. However, this will only be possible for trainings that are common and have wider audience that can drive the volume of participants in order to justify the cost per head to bring in the trainings. Saving Changes...
Linda HillProgram Manager| MicrosoftRenton, Wa, United States
Conferences offer the opportunity to network and learn from others. This is something you don't get if you bring trainning in-house. My employer always requires justification for attending as well as bringing back the information and presenting it to others in meetings. Saving Changes...
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