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How to ask your employer for sponsorship

Picture of a man holding a piggy bank.

If you’re in employment and have a place to study on one of our programmes, you may be eligible for employer sponsorship.

Employer sponsorship is when your employer pays for all or part of your tuition costs. This is usually in recognition of the fact that your studies will benefit your work in some way.

For many of our students, a Birkbeck degree allows them to seek a promotion or to perform their role more effectively. Here’s how to discuss your educational ambitions with your employer.

Find out what’s available in your organisation

Before approaching your line manager about sponsorship, do your homework so you know what definitely is or isn’t available.

Larger firms may have established sponsorship schemes with an application process, while others may operate on a case by case basis.

If you can’t find anything on your company website, your HR learning and development lead will be able to help.

Consider your motivations for study

Take some time to think about why you want to study your chosen course. Will it help you develop the skills to perform a technical aspect of your role? Will it provide a theoretical underpinning to help you manage complex problems? Will you gain a broader understanding of how to differentiate your organisation in the sector?

Once you have a clear understanding of why you want to study this particular course, it will be easier to translate this into reasons why your employer should be interested.

Demonstrate the business case

To secure employer sponsorship, you will need to show the positive return on investment it will provide for your employer. Perhaps the skills you gain in the course will enable you to apply for a promotion and stay with the company for longer. Developing your knowledge of an area of the business might make you more efficient, enabling you to take on more responsibility. Link the programme description to objectives in your current role to show the direct value for your employer.

Show your commitment to learning and development

What have you already done as part of your continuous professional development (CPD) that can show your commitment to your career? It could be as simple as reading around the subject, attending a webinar or signing up for in-house training. Your employer will want to be confident that you will make the most of the opportunity that they are investing in.

What if I can’t get sponsorship?

Employers often have limited budgets available for staff learning and development, so don’t be disheartened if you’re unable to secure funding. Having demonstrated your commitment to your professional development and to the organisation, it is worth asking whether there are any alternative opportunities for you to develop your skills, such as shadowing another employee.

You can also find more information about what alternative financial support is available for our students on the Birkbeck website.

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Tackling lockdown boredom? Pavol is here to help.

BSc Marketing student Pavol spreads the joy and shares some tips for beating boredom during coronavirus lockdown.

Pavol, BSc Marketing student

Hey everyone!

My name is Pavol, but my friends call me Pav. I am currently in my fourth year at Birkbeck studying Marketing BSc. I decided that I would like to share a bit of joy, happiness and love with everyone who is currently #stayinghome and maybe create a ripple effect on sharing positive vibes.

I am currently sitting home and thinking about where to start. Well, I love baking, but I am not professional. I like exercising, but I am not full of muscles. I do like reading, but I have not read the whole library. So I hope you get what I mean when I say I am a regular guy with a tiny bit of quirkiness, fun and passion. I am 27 years young , and I would like to do something for our community of students. We are like a family, so I would like to share a bit of #LifeofPav with you all. Yes, it is my hashtag which I use on Instagram so please do get in touch and lets share our stories, pictures or drop me a message for an informal chat.

In the first chapter of this adventure, I would like to tell you about a great opportunity which I tried recently. My friend has been talking to me about this for the last six months, but you know how it is. You keep trying to do everything, and you say yes I will give it a go, but down the line, I forgot to do it. Six months ago I heard for the first time about the 16personalities.com website. Well, I finally tried it, and I am still shocked at how correct a few of the attributes are.

There are four main categories, and once you know your type, you can easily find a group on Facebook or research about famous people who are the same personality type as you. I am aware that this may not be for everyone, but maybe you would like to learn something more about yourself while we have a bit more time on our hands. The website is entirely free for the basic test, which will give you more than enough information about your personality. I find it fascinating, and I am eager to learn more about myself. Just in case you are the same and would like to share it with me or discuss your answers, I will be more than happy to do this. 

16 personalities wheel

The 16 personalities.

Until next time please all stay well, try the website, find me on Instagram as Pavol Weiss or under #LifeofPav♈ – I cannot wait to hear from you.

Your (ENFP) Pav 🙂

 

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Have your say in Birkbeck’s 2018 Students’ Union elections

Sean Fitzpatrick from the Birkbeck Students’ Union explains why you should vote in the upcoming SU elections, and how to do it.

The Student Officer elections will be open from 19-23 February. This year’s election is set to be the most highly contested in many years: your vote could make all the difference in ensuring your favoured candidate is elected to lead and shape the Students’ Union’s activities for the coming year.

The Students’ Union is run both by and for students. It’s your way of making sure that the University is acting in the best interests of you and your peers. To make sure that you get the chance to influence how the union is running, we hold elections once (or, occasionally, twice) a year. Students who want to be either one of the Union’s two Student Leaders or a Liberation Officer for the LGBTQ/Women’s/Black Member’s/Disabilities campaigns should submit manifestoes detailing what they hope to do to make Birkbeck a better place for its students.

Once this is done – it’s down to you to pick those that you think would be best for the role! We use the Alternative Transferable Voting system, which allows you to select multiple candidates and list them in order of preference. Once everyone has voted, we do the count, and then announce the brand new officer team.

The Students’ Union then supports these officers to work on the projects they planned on the manifesto they were elected on. If you’re interested in learning a little more about the roles and responsibilities of Officers, you can read our articles here on Facebook on both Student Leaders and Liberation Officers.

You can also vote for students standing to act as Birkbeck’s voice on the national stage. NUS Delegates attend the National Union of Students’ General Conference to represent you within the wider student movement across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. These students will bring issues of particular relevance to the attention of NUS, and attempt to gather cross-union support for campaigns intended to improve the student experience nationwide.

In short, your vote has a wide-reaching impact: from the small grassroots campaigns set up by individual students to far-reaching issues at the top of the agenda for millions of students across the country. Your vote matters, make sure you use it.

Log in to our website and head to birkbeckunion.org/vote from the 9:00 am on the 19 February to get started.

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