Going Back To School On Your Company’s Dime Corporate Tuition Assistance Programs Are Growing In Popularity. How To Capitalize On The Trend And Find The Right Program For You. “Tve seen her develop from being (NAPSA)—Whatisit like to be a someone who’really passionate about the business—that’s just innate and whoshe is—butonce coupled with the education,it’s just taken her to another hot commodity? American workers should know. With a jobless rate at a near-record low, companies are competingfor highly skilled employees. At place? says Melissa Vieira, senior the sametime, a Deloitte study predicts that by 2020, the skills we use at work regional human resources manager will have just a five-year shelflife. ‘That puts employees in the driver's seat. Andthat’s why one ofthe biggest shifts in 2018 in corporate benefits is leaning toward continuing education. Making educationavailable to employ- eespositively affects a company’s bottom line, and hasa great impact on employ- ees through performance, job satisfac- tion and advancement opportunities. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers 2011 Student Survey, employees report that tuition reimbursement is one of the top three mostdesirable corporate benefits. Nowis the time to explore opportunities with your employer to obtain newcertifications,a first-time degree or advanceddegree. for Quality Custom Distribution and Manyfirmsfind it pays to investin re-educa' \g their employees. programs. CBEis a growing method of education that allows students to move at their own pace through curriculum, taking advantageofexisting work expe- rience and knowledge to advance more quickly—only spending time learning whatthey don't yet know. Becauseofits directability to bridge the skills gap and provide busy adults with a program uniquely tailored to them, CBE has exploded in popularity. Today, there are more than 500 CBEpro- Myers’ manager. And Myers agrees. “Continuing my education and quest to obtain a degree has opened up new opportuni- ties through making me a more valued intellectual asset to my company and probably adding to myfuture career opportunities that not even I am awareofyet” The environment for corporate “retraining” or “uptraining”is ripe. A 2016 Lumina Foundation study found that for every dollar the participating companiesinvested into its education reimbursement program, it generated an estimated$1.44 in additional savings. Nowis the time for employees to explore opportunities and talk with their employer. Hereare three suggested tom Distribution, a division of Golden gramsnationwide and many are tapped by companiesas part of corporate benefit programs providing tuition assistance, including the Brandman MyPath program that Myers enrolled in through her company’s HRgeneralist role, she’s MyPath curriculum hasattracted partnerships with more than 100 corporate your company has an established edu- and Walmart, because the curriculum is Howdoyour personaleducational goals benefit your employer, now and in the ‘That's what Alex Myers from Port- land, Oregon did. Myers is a human resourcesprofessional with Quality Cus- State Foods that provides distribution services to customersacrossthe U.S.In Brandman University. The Brandman herdivision are a happy and healthy partners, including Discover Financial Services, The Walt Disney Company lar customer service. Shell willingly representative ofreal-world knowledge, skills andabilities, notjust theory. tasked with ensuring the employeesin extension of the company through stel- admit that prior to taking advantage of her company’s education benefit to go back to school, she lacked the education program...and found it was designed her. week and then some, whoare raising she saw in the junior employees around “I knew personally that I had a younger crowd coming up behind me, and didn’t have any qualifications, and itfelt really odd” Myers says. As an HR professional whois tasked with nurtur- ing a positive workplace culture and developing employeeskill sets, she knew she neededto take her ownadvice. “I wasterrified. Going back to school was one of the hardest decisions I've made in my adult life” Myers explains, especially as she now splits her time betweenbeinga full-time professional and mom. A solution for students like Myers who balance a career, family respon- sibilities and other life commitments while pursuing a degree is Competen- cy-Based , also known as CBE “T looked at the Brandman MyPath” for those of us who work 40 hours a families, and wanttheflexibility and the control that it gives you,” says Myers. She is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. “When we can. tie our learning to our reality and what welive each day it becomes something tangible. You can appreciate it more and realizethe depth andvalueyouare gain- steps: 1. Identify your benefits with your HR Department representative. Do someinvestigative work to uncoverif cation program and whattuition assistance benefits are offered. 2. Determine your personalgoals. long term? Ensuring your goals are aligned with company goals can help youfeel comfortable approaching your manager, and also allow youto clearly Jay out how your education can benefit the company. 3. Research educational programs that will help you accomplish your goals. Work with your companytofind a degree program that provides you learning outcomesrelevantto yourjob. ‘Also considerthe modalities—can you through knowledge” make it to a physical classroom at designated days and times? Do you need to attend remotely, with the pace set her managerrecognized her new skill tion program that meets the needs of ing from your growth and development The return on investment came pretty early in Myers’ education, when sets and promotedherto larger facility in Portland.There, Myersputs her learn- inginto practice at the “bigger location with more associates to take care of. I pounced on the opportunity to make a move” by the professor? Or would anonline, self-paced, competency-based educa- working professionals who needto juggle work/life balance suit your needs? CBEcan be a thoughtful and respon- sible option that won't take you away from your responsibilities as a full- time employee.