The new work study: Companies invite degree programs, employees benefit

When I grew up, high school graduates went directly to college and figured out a way to pay for it. Most of us took out student loans or held part-time jobs to pay for our four (or sometimes many more) years of college.

More and more companies these days are paying their employees’ college expenses. The company benefits from having trained employees that can be given additional responsibilities.

The newest trend in corporate college reimbursements is to offer the college courses right at the employer’s location, which completely eliminates travel time for school.

A recent article in the News and Observer tells about the college tuition program at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.

A few quotes from the article:

“…in 2001, Blue Cross started Blue University, which allows employees to earn associate, bachelor’s or master’s degrees without leaving the health insurer’s campus. The benefit gives workers a convenient way to earn degrees and provides the company with a pool of employees it can promote to more senior positions.”

“Degree-granting programs have become increasingly common on corporate campuses as employers invest in higher education to improve productivity and help staffers balance their work and home lives.”

“Many companies have tried to accomplish the same goals through tuition reimbursements alone but providing on-site degree programs encourage more employees to participate, said Jeanne C. Meister, an author, management consultant and editor of the “New Learning Playbook” blog.”

“About 20 percent of the 3,000-plus companies with formal training programs — known as corporate universities — work with brick-and-mortar universities to offer on-site degree programs, she said.”

Chris’ Thoughts:

What a great way to tell your employees that you care about them and want to help them improve themselves through further education.

The business world is changing so fast, that all of us will be going back to school for the rest of our lives just to keep up with all the new knowledge. I predict that eventually most businesses will be offering this kind of benefit for their employees.

You got that kiddies? You’ll be in school for the rest of your lives, so get used to it!

Well, at least the way that I see it. Let me know what you are thinking, and stop by again soon for more of my ramblings.