Partners
in Skill Development:
Tuition Reimbursement Is Old News |
 |
Part
1: Be a Partner
"You don't go to school once in a lifetime; you are in school all
of your life. That's why they call graduation 'commencement' - it's just the beginning."
~~Harvey MacKay~~
author of "Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive"
In surveys from such experts as Forrester's and others on what employees consider most important today, continuing education ranks high as one of the benefits they are seeking. Most large companies, and many smaller companies, have a tuition reimbursement program in their "benefit package". Usually there are strict guidelines and rules about how this is administered: an employee must have been on the job a certain period of time before he/she can qualify, the employee must be registered in a degree program, certain grade point averages must be met, or the employee must promise to stay with the company for a certain period of time after completing the course - or must reimburse the company.
Offering the typical tuition reimbursement package at your company is just the equivalent of just keeping up with the Jones', and is usually a defensive tool to allow the company to be competitive and attract good applicants. You could be a true "employer of choice" and attract the best candidates by going one step further. Don't just offer tuition reimbursement. Go for more. Provide educational opportunities to employees that will enhance their existing skills and give them new skills. Help them do their jobs better. Assist them with planning their career growth. Partner with your employees to promote their success at their jobs.
This doesn't only benefit the employees, there's something in it for businesses, too. When the job market is tight, finding the right person for some of your open positions may seem nearly impossible. There may very well be someone in your organization that, with a little time and effort, could become that right person. So how do you do it? How do you create a Database expert? Programmer? Webmaster? Web Designer? Easy. Have you ever heard the phrase "distance learning"?
According to the Arizona Distance Learning Association, "In the corporate side of training, America is currently faced with upgrading the training of 50 million American workers. Each year corporations look to the use of technology and distance education to provide that training and continuing education for their workers. This saves them millions of dollars each year using distance learning to train employees more effectively and more efficiently than with conventional methods."
How can you accomplish this? Distance learning has many forms. It could mean establishing a video and CD library. Online courses are proliferating and you can take advantage of them by offering them in your workplace. This allows you, as an employer, to actively participate with your employees in your mutual success. By scheduling time at work to complete these courses you are giving the employees the chance to acquire more skills, while you still maintain some quality control over the course selection and the training process.
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© 2000 Judy Hedding.
