A learning and development program for your organization depends on the skill upgradation and capacity building requirements of your employees. To develop effective, need-based programs, most L&D professionals base their plans on requests for training received from the employees, their managers, or the HR team.
And to make sure that such requests are streamlined, an organized approach is to put in place a form for requesting any trainings, workshops, or attendance at seminars or conferences. Without this, your department will receive such requests in a haphazard manner, often resulting in missing or incorrect information.
To make it easy for you, we have developed an industry-standard training request form template at WordLayouts that you can easily integrate into your L&D initiatives.
Read on to learn more about this editable template.
What is a Training Request Form?
At its core, a training request form (digital or physical) is a standardized form that an employee uses to formally request a specific training course, workshop, conference, or other learning opportunity.
With a structured form, employees can convey their learning goals officially to HR or their manager, and then the request is evaluated against organizational goals, budget constraints, and individual development plans.
This form is more than a wish list—it gives the L&D department a clear, structured indication of how the employees wish to upgrade their skills and build competencies.
What Our TRF Includes
Now that you have your training request form in place, let us take a closer look at each section and understand the purpose behind each section:
Requestor details
This section ensures you have the essential information about the employee requesting training.
- Name, ID/Position, Department, Department Head (blank spaces): This information is crucial for verifying identity, understanding reporting lines, and accurate record-keeping.
- Contact No. Email Address (blank spaces): You can communicate directly and efficiently for follow-ups or updates.
Training details
This is the core section of this template and captures specifics about the proposed training to help you with planning and evaluation.
- Title, Dates, Provider Name & Address (blank spaces): These details are essential for identifying the program, scheduling the training, and managing the vendor.
- Mode (On-Site / Online) (checkboxes): This information provides critical details to inform your logistical planning (travel, virtual access, facilities).
- Duration (Hours / Days / Weeks) (checkboxes & blank space): Once you know the duration of the learning program, you can assess time commitment and potential operational impact of the program.
- “Overview of content” & “How will this support your role?” (blank spaces): Blank spaces are provided in the template for employees to justify the request. This information will help you in your assessment of the training’s relevance and potential ROI for the individual and the organization. For instance, if an employee in the communication and marketing department requests an SEO training and explains how it will enhance your organic traffic generation and lead acquisition goals for Q3, you can easily reach a decision that this is a necessary investment.
Additional details
This section examines the logistical and financial implications of comprehensive assessment and budget management.
- PIP / Mandatory Requirement (checkboxes): Individual training is often part of a broader employee development plan. So this checkbox immediately flags requests tied to performance plans or regulatory compliance. This will indicate their higher priority and help you in your planning.
- Time Off / Shift Coverage (checkboxes): Most trainings are conducted during business hours, which would mean that the employee would not be present at work. When you know how the training fits into an employee’s work schedule, you can manage the potential operational impacts and discuss shift plans with managers.
- Reimbursement for Expenses (checkboxes & blank space): Financial aspects of a learning program are crucial when deciding its priority and approval. In this section of the template, the requesting employee will provide a clear breakdown of anticipated costs (course fees, travel, lodging, PTO, other).
- Supporting Documents (checkboxes & blank space): At the end of this section, employees can attach relevant materials to provide your team with vital context for review.
The information in this section provides a comprehensive overview of the training’s practicalities and full financial implications, supporting your decision-making.
Signatures
This section formalizes the request and approval process, creating a clear audit trail.
- Employee, Supervisor (blank spaces): Signatures from both signify commitment and initial departmental approval, respectively.
- FOR HR DEPARTMENT USE ONLY (Approved / Rejected checkboxes & blank space for reason): Here, your department’s final decision is clearly documented. Plus, you can also document the reason for rejection to not only create more transparency around HR decisions but also to guide employees.
- Authorized Person Signature & Date (blank spaces): Finally, you can formalize the final approval or denial of the training.
This final section of the template facilitates the creation of a documented history of training decisions for auditing and strategic planning purposes.
Customize This TRF for Any Sector and Need
This training request form is developed for universal use for requesting training, but its real power lies in its adaptability. Just as every organization has its unique culture, challenges, and goals, this form for requesting training can easily be tailored to reflect those nuances.
This template is available in multiple formats, such as Microsoft Word, Google Docs and ODT. This means you can easily tailor this form to align with your specific sector, departmental needs, or unique training initiatives.
Here are some ideas on how you can customize it:
General customization
- To make the form more integrated into your workflow, add your company logo, change the fonts to match your brand guidelines, and perhaps update the color scheme
- If your company has training reimbursement limits, external training providers, or a minimum tenure before requesting certain types of training, then you can add notes or checkboxes in the template to add that information.
- Next, if your company has a different approval process that involves more steps (e.g., Department VP, Finance, Project Lead), then you can add more signature spaces.
- And finally, if you track specific KPIs related to training (e.g., number of hours per employee, cost per training type), then in the section “HR Department Use Only”, you can add such checkboxes for internal records.
Tailoring for specific sectors
Different industries have different training requirements. For many fields, most trainings are mandated by law. Here is how you can adapt this form for such details:
- Healthcare and Pharmaceutical: Add fields for specific certifications (e.g., BLS, ACLS), continuing medical education (CME) credits, regulatory compliance (HIPAA, GxP), patient safety protocols, or specific equipment training (e.g., new diagnostic tools).
- Technology & Software Development: While the IT sector sees many quick changes, you can add fields for certifications and training that are most likely to be used at your workplace. You can add checkboxes for specific programming languages, software development methodologies (Agile, Scrum), cloud platforms (AWS, Azure), cybersecurity certifications, or specific tools (e.g., Jira, Git).
- Manufacturing & Industrial: Most training in this sector is mandatory. You can include checkboxes for safety certifications (OSHA), machinery operation licenses, quality control standards (ISO certifications), Lean/Six Sigma methodologies, or environmental compliance training.
- Finance & Banking: You can add fields for financial licenses (Series exams), regulatory compliance (AML, KYC), specific financial software proficiency, or risk management training.
- Retail & Customer Service: Fields for product knowledge updates, customer relationship management (CRM) software training, conflict resolution skills, sales techniques, or point-of-sale (POS) system proficiency can be added for this sector.
Additionally, you can customize this request form to reflect your organization’s unique training initiatives. For instance, if the training is for new employees and related to onboarding, then you can add a checkbox to add this information. If it is a mandatory training, then you can add a field for “completion deadline.”
Ultimately, this training request form template is a dynamic document that can be easily integrated into any workflow and adapted to the evolving training needs of your employees. It will help you make data-driven decisions regarding talent development and support a continuous culture of learning and development in your organization.
Download this training request form template today and strengthen your employees for future challenges!
