Submit a great proposal for corporate sponsorship
To gain the support of your employer to sponsor your MBA studies, it is important to build a strong business case that demonstrates how the programme can help you and your organisation. Essentially, your case needs to persuade your employer that funding your education would be a good investment for the business.
Building your business case
If you are seeking sponsorship from your employer for one of our MBA programmes, then you will find our Business Case useful. This document outlines the information you should include in your proposal to give you the best chance of achieving employer sponsorship.
Our Recruitment team can advise you further about preparing a business case for sponsorship; please request a profile review for more information, and read our tips below.
Firstly, you need to explain what your career goals are and match them to the needs and objectives of the business.
You can do this by linking specific learnings from the MBA programme with the issues that need addressing in your organisation. For example, the international opportunities will expose you to important economies in the world, allowing you to gain a strategic perspective on the challenges and opportunities presented by international markets. This knowledge could benefit your employer if they are looking to expand internationally in the future.
Before preparing your case, find out from your HR department if your employer has training opportunities or a formal sponsorship policy in place. The process should be more straightforward if there is a precedent.
You should establish who needs to receive your business case (HR, your line manager or senior management) to tailor it appropriately.
Investigate if any other employees in your organisation have been funded before. If so, you should include information on how previous sponsors have benefitted from the programme and how the business has benefited from that sponsorship.
Decide what level of commitment you want to ask from your employer and the level of commitment you’d be prepared to give in return.
Students usually receive financial assistance from their organisations by means of full or part-sponsorship. However, support doesn’t have to be financial. Other forms of support you could ask for are flexible working or study leave (often known as 'time sponsorship').
A great way to gain the support of your employer is to invite them to attend one of our information sessions. Together you can find out more about the programme and hear how current students and their employers are benefiting from the programme.
Create a successful workforce of inspiring leaders with a world-class MBA
In a global organisation, the opportunities for internal career growth and organisational success are endless when staff are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to further their careers and, in turn, the organisation as a whole.
An effective global workforce is one that can work together to share knowledge, skills and ideas to achieve organisational goals – and Imperial College Business School facilitates an environment in which professionals around the world can do just that through its MBA programmes.
Why sponsor an employee to enrol on an Imperial MBA?
They’ll immediately be able to apply the expert knowledge and skills gained through the programme to your workplace as they continue their careers whilst studying.
They’ll be connected to a community of high-calibre professionals from reputable global organisations like yours, gaining exposure to international business practices, perspectives and networks that will help them further succeed in their roles.
They’ll be able to gain a world-class MBA from a leading, triple-accredited institution while maintaining their current work commitments thanks to a programme that allows professionals to study around their busy schedule.
They’ll be armed with the knowledge and skills they need to be able to fill senior roles internally, allowing your organisation to retain and nurture internal knowledge and talent and eliminating the time and costs associated with sourcing staff externally.
Thanks to the range of electives on offer, your sponsored employee’s MBA studies can be tailored to the specific needs of your organisation, allowing them to gain the skills to tackle a specific problem or address a business opportunity for your organisation.
How to sponsor an employee
If you’d like to further your employees’ skills and career opportunities within your organisation by sponsoring them to enrol in our Weekend MBA programme, please email bs.recruitment@imperial.ac.uk.
"I was lucky to have a very supportive employer and team who helped fund the MBA and provided support for out of office study days. There are also multiple scholarships and financing programmes available to suit individual requirements."
