I once requested to use my employer’s education sponsorship program to pay for a specialized week long trade class that was DIRECTLY associated with my job task, and would have increased safety and my value to the company. It was far less expensive than a semester at the local college, which the routinely sponsored for other employees. They turned me down, so I paid for the class out of pocket because I wanted the knowledge.
When I returned from the class, the boss asked when I was going to teach my coworkers what I had learned so that the whole department could benefit… I laughed and walked away.
Within the same quarter I got two certificates of merit for using my new skill to prevent a fatality and a near miss. I also got a written warning for violating a company policy (that contradicted OSHA) while performing that rescue.
The boss was completely flabbergasted when I gave my notice and left to double my income working in a specialty field with that skill.
Corporate bosses are idiots.