Learning Requests

In this article:

• Overview
• Why use Learning Requests
• Before you start
• Enabling Learning Requests
• Choosing which learning requires approval
• What learners see
• Approving or declining requests
• Things to keep in mind
• FAQs
• Who can do this

Overview

Learning Requests let you control how people access learning in SuperPath by requiring approval before certain items are assigned. Instead of self-assigning straight away, a learner asks for the learning, and a nominated approver signs it off first. It's ideal wherever learning needs oversight — paid courses, limited-capacity Events, or compliance-driven Pathways.

Why use Learning Requests

Learning Requests help you:

• Prevent uncontrolled self-assignment.
• Manage the cost of external learning.
• Limit attendance for capacity-constrained Events.
• Involve Managers in learning decisions.
• Keep governance in place while still letting people explore what's on offer.

Before you start

Learning Requests build on self-serve learning, so a couple of things need to be in place first:

• Self-serve learning must be enabled for your private Library — the Learning Requests toggle only appears once it is.
• The learning items you want to gate must be available in the Library.

If self-serve is switched off, Learning Requests can't be turned on. For the full self-serve setup, see How to Enable Self-Serve Learning in the Library.

Enabling Learning Requests

1. Go to Settings → Library.
2. In the Library Content section, make sure self-serve learning from the private Library is switched on.
3. Switch on Enable learning requests in the library.
4. Click Save in the save bar that appears at the top of the page.

For a step-by-step of just this setting, see How to Enable Learning Requests.

Choosing which learning requires approval

Turning the feature on doesn't gate everything automatically — you decide which items need approval by requiring approval for self-assignment on each one. Approval can be required for:

• Events
• Courses (including external content)
• Pathways

What learners see

When an item requires approval, the learner's experience changes:

• Instead of a self-assign button, they see Request Learning.
• Submitting a request notifies the nominated approvers, and the learner's Manager if one is configured.

Approving or declining requests

Approvers review learning requests from the Requests page in SuperPath, under the Learning Requests tab, where each request can be approved or declined. Approvers are also notified when a new request comes in.

• Managers see requests from their direct reports.
• Admins and Owners see all requests they're a nominated approver of — and, when Allow Admins to approve and assess all learnings is switched on for the account, every request across the organisation.

For the detailed flows, see How to Approve or Decline a Learning Request and the Centralised Learning Requests hub overview.

Things to keep in mind

• Learning Requests depend on self-serve learning. If you turn self-serve off, the Learning Requests toggle disappears and gating stops.
• Enabling the feature is account-wide, but approval is applied per item — an item is only gated once you require approval for self-assignment on it.
• Requests are actioned centrally on the Requests page, alongside evidence approvals and assessment requests.

FAQs

What's the difference between Learning Requests and requiring approval when assigning?
Learning Requests cover the case where a learner asks for learning they've found in the Library. Requiring approval when an admin assigns a learning is a separate control on the assignment itself.

Where do approvers action requests?
On the Requests page, under the Learning Requests tab. See Centralised Learning Requests.

Why can't I see the Learning Requests setting?
It only appears once self-serve learning from the private Library is enabled. Turn that on first.

Who can do this

Only Owners and Admins can enable Learning Requests, because the setting lives on the Library tab in Settings. Choosing which items require approval means editing that Learning, Pathway or Event, so Owners, Admins, Managers, Content Managers and Instructors can set it. Actioning requests is done by the nominated approvers: Managers see their direct reports' requests, while Admins and Owners can approve across the organisation when Allow Admins to approve and assess all learnings is on. Any learner — including Employees and Restricted users — can raise a request from the Library.

Updated on: 24/07/2026