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February 8th, 2023 · 6 min read

Employees want continuing education – here’s how to give it to them

blog header for employee continuing education article

Modern employees seek out continuing education in the workplace

Employee continuing education and the engagement dilemma

  • Lack of accessibility
    Most programs rely on a tuition reimbursement model which requires employees to pay upfront. This is simply too high of an out-of-pocket expense for many employees. This model favors those with greater financial means.
  • Limited learning options
    People come from all different kinds of educational backgrounds. Some might be ready to jump into a full-fledged four-year degree program, while others may be looking to complete their high school diploma or pursue a professional certification. Successful learning programs need to offer a variety of options to meet each and every learner where they are in their education journey.
  • Career outcomes are not clearly defined for learners
    Workers may not feel motivated to participate in educational programs that don’t offer a clear pathway to career advancement. Employees want to know that their time and effort will result in a real career outcome – whether that’s a promotion or gaining new skills that allow them to succeed in their current role. When an organization takes the time to align education initiatives with existing career pathways, every hour of learning feels relevant to employee success.
  • No cultural support 
    In companies with a strong culture of learning, excitement and support of education are integrated into every facet of the organization. Without this, employees may feel ambivalent about opportunities or perhaps even dissuaded by managers. When leaders don’t prioritize internal program marketing, many may be unaware that educational programs exist. Employees interested in pursuing a degree may feel pressure to stay focused on work. In all these cases, employees do not receive the support they need.

The value of employee continuing education

Boosted productivity through better engagement

Ability to better address skills gaps

skills gap analysis template cta

Build an internal talent pipeline

Maximize employee lifetime value

How to deliver continuing employee education that drives business impact

Align learning options with career paths and in-demand skills

Lead with accessibility

Actively promote program awareness and engagement

Measuring the impact of your continuous education initiatives

  • Do your employees know the program exists?
  • Are employees enrolling? Are they graduating? What is the rate of completion? How are they utilizing their new skills after graduation?
  • Is this program generating an ROI? Are employees staying with your company longer? Are they advancing? Are you seeing an increase in productivity? What is the average ELTV and has it increased? 

The future of continuing employee education

You can address talent development challenges