SSM Health removes barriers to education with program that provides upfront tuition funds

LOS ANGELES, CA — May 26, 2020 — The Exceptional Women Awardees Foundation is proud to announce that after reviewing multiple applicants, they have selected Michelle Westfort, SVP Academic Partnerships at Instride, to join the EWA Spring 2020 Cohort of Exceptional Women Awardees.

"Michelle is an expert in the education field, understands education’s importance to overall societal impact, and has an intense ongoing commitment to collaboration and partnerships," said Larraine Segil, Chair and CEO of The Exceptional Women Awardees Foundation, "We are delighted to select her to join the other women leaders in our EWA group."

To read the full press release, please visit PRWeb.

Michelle Westfort, SVP Academic Partnerships, Instride, has been selected to join the EWA Spring 2020 Cohort of Exceptional Women Awardees

The Exceptional Women Awardees Foundation selected Michelle Westfort, SVP Academic Partnerships at Instride, to join the EWA Spring 2020 Cohort.

ST. LOUIS, MO. — November 13, 2023 – SSM Health is enhancing its Professional Development Program, which empowers team members to pursue education and career advancement, with a new program that offers upfront tuition to employees. 

The new initiative, FlexPath Funded, will offer eligible team members up to $5,250 per calendar year in up-front tuition towards an array of online programs and courses from top-tier academic institutions. 

It aligns with SSM Health’s commitment to develop a diverse team of lifelong learners and fosters a culture of opportunity – where everyone has the potential to fulfill their calling at SSM Health. 

By removing the financial barrier to academic achievement by prepaying for tuition, the program provides easier access to learning opportunities that empower the organization’s diverse team of lifelong learners to deliver exceptional health care, today and in the future. 

“At SSM Health, we are passionate about offering flexible, alternative education paths for team members without having them incur upfront, out-of-pocket expenses,” said Janet Smith-Hill, Chief Human Resources Officer at SSM Health. “FlexPath Funded achieves just that, while also focusing on increasing talent retention and preparing our workforce for high-requested roles to meet patient care needs. This is just one of the components of our robust professional and career development programming at SSM Health.” 

FlexPath Funded complements SSM’s existing Tuition Reimbursement Policy and is a powerful way for SSM Health team members to pursue accessible online education opportunities that advance their careers. 

SSM Health also has a deep commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The new program is designed to create equal access to education opportunities that increase representation at all levels and provide mobility pathways, enabling front-line employees to elevate their lives and careers. 

SSM Health has partnered with InStride, a tech-enabled services company that delivers workforce education solutions, to launch FlexPath Funded based on a commitment to a shared partnership approach and a demonstrated understanding of the relationship between DEI and workforce education. 

"SSM Health and InStride are mission-first organizations that share a vision for social and business outcomes,” said Craig Maloney, CEO of InStride. “SSM Health is an employer of choice and we are honored to deliver a workforce education program where every SSM team member has the opportunity to reach their full potential through equitable access to learning.” 

SSM Health is a Catholic, not-for-profit health system serving the comprehensive health needs of communities across the Midwest through a robust and fully integrated health care delivery system. The organization’s 40,000 team members and more than 12,800 providers are committed to providing exceptional health care services and revealing God’s healing presence to everyone they serve.

With care delivery sites in Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, SSM Health includes 23 hospitals, more than 300 physician offices and other outpatient and virtual care services, 12 post-acute facilities, comprehensive home care and hospice services, a pharmacy benefit company, a health insurance company and an accountable care organization. It is one of the largest employers in every community it serves. For more information, visit ssmhealth.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter.  

InStride, in collaboration with top academic institutions, enables employers to provide career-aligned, debt-free education through a personalized, digital platform and a consultative service model. InStride empowers forward-thinking, talent-focused corporate partners to innovate their human capital management strategies. Visit instride.com or follow InStride on Twitter and LinkedIn for more information and up-to-date news. 

FlexPath Funded makes education more accessible to elevate careers, champion diversity, and recruit/retain talent

LOS ANGELES — September 12, 2023 — The Employee Benefits News Excellence in Benefits program honors changemakers in the benefits and HR community, including employers with top benefits programs, innovators providing tech-driven solutions and leading advisers who connect the dots. Now in its third year, the annual initiative shines a spotlight on the community’s brightest, most forward-thinking leaders.

Michelle Hamilton, InStride’s VP of People & Talent, has earned a spot on this year’s list of HR/benefits leaders who are supporting employee needs through cutting-edge benefits while driving business forward. Michelle was InStride’s first HR hire, and has helped grow the InStride team from 35 staff to 165 in three years.

Michelle has helped InStride stand out with policies like a generous parental leave; programs like an employer-matched 401K; company-wide wellness days to ensure that InStriders are taking care of themselves; and a supplemental caregiver benefit that helps employees take care of their children and older family members who require assistance and supervision. 

“During a time of sweeping transformation in the HR and benefits landscape, these individuals are finding creative ways to build better employee experiences,” says Stephanie Schomer, Editor-in-Chief at Employee Benefit News. “They’re putting people first by creating better (and more affordable) benefits programs around healthcare and mental health, and changing the conversations around vital needs such as child care and financial wellness.”

This year, for the first time ever, the winners of the Excellence in Benefits Awards will be recognized live and in person at EBN's new BENEFITS AT WORK conference, Sept. 27-29 in San Diego. The dedicated luncheon at this premiere event will give the honorees a chance to celebrate their accomplishments and connect with other award recipients.

Employee Benefit News (EBN) is the primary media resource for decision makers in the worlds of employee benefits, human resources and workplace culture. As the dynamics of these spaces continue to shift and become increasingly complex, EBN delivers expert insights to allow business leaders to navigate their industries with agility. From helping benefits managers meet the challenges of reducing care costs and improving retirement plans to providing HR leaders with guidance on building a talented and diverse workforce, EBN drives the conversation and delivers the research and analysis to help readers support their companies’ objectives.

Employee Benefit News names InStride’s Michelle Hamilton as one of 2023’s Excellence in Benefits Awards honorees

The Employee Benefits News Excellence in Benefits program honors changemakers in the benefits and HR community, including employers with top benefits programs, innovators providing tech-driven solutions and leading advisers who connect the dots. Now in its third year, the annual initiative shines a spotlight on the community’s brightest, most forward-thinking leaders.

LOS ANGELES – September 13, 2023 – InStride, a tech-enabled services company that delivers workforce education solutions, today announced the launch of InSkilling™, a consultative service that broadens the pool of qualified talent for in-demand jobs through skills-based hiring. Providing companies with the expertise and tools needed to implement skills-based hiring, InSkilling determines how to replace traditional degree requirements for job descriptions, with necessary skills for specific entry- and mid-level roles. 

InStride has created a robust framework for InSkilling through skills taxonomy mapping and extensive research. The multi-stage process includes in-depth interviews with subject matter experts, skills extraction from job descriptions, and alignment of both soft and hard skills across job families.

Since the 1980s, many job descriptions have included degree requirements, a practice that left behind skilled candidates who did not have degrees. This created equity barriers for communities disproportionately underrepresented in the traditional academic system as well as workers with credentials from international education systems. However, there’s been a reverse trend. Currently, about one in five U.S. job postings do not require a college degree, a 15% increase since 2021. 

Craig Maloney, CEO of InStride, commented: "InSkilling is our response to our clients who have asked InStride to help them implement skills-based hiring to widen their talent pool and embrace inclusive hiring practices. InSkilling begins to unwind the previous trend of adding degree requirements for entry- and mid-level roles and broadens opportunities for individuals who have acquired skills through alternative routes.”

To refine InSkilling, InStride collaborated with Medtronic, a global healthcare technology company employing over 90,000 people, to replace degree requirements with appropriate skill requirements for 60 roles across 15 job families to meet Medtronic’s goals of opening access to a wider pool of talent that could be incorporated into existing corporate talent recruitment processes.

Amy Wilson, Medtronic's director of global talent acquisition programs and employment brand, said of skills-based hiring at Medtronic, “A degree is just one indicator for job readiness. If we can create more pathways to jobs at Medtronic, we can bring our mission as an employer to more people who are a great fit for Medtronic.”

After an InSkilling implementation, InStride helps companies take the next step with constructing Career Education Paths, which link skill requirements for filled roles to relevant learning options, including degree and non-degree options, available through InStride’s strategic workforce education solution. Career Education Paths provide employees with valuable skills and knowledge they need to take the next step in their career, paired with access to the debt-free and robust educational programming they need to do so. 

InStride, in partnership with top academic institutions, enables companies to provide career-aligned, debt-free education through a personalized digital platform and consultative service model. InStride empowers forward-thinking, talent-focused corporate partners such as Amazon, Labcorp, Medtronic and Magna to drive meaningful social and business outcomes by unlocking access to life-changing education. InStride and its partners are leading the movement to innovate human capital management strategies with career and company growth through boundless education opportunities. Follow InStride on Twitter and LinkedIn for more information and up-to-date news.

InSkilling, launched with Medtronic, empowers companies to replace traditional degree requirements hiring.

InStride Launches Solution That Expands Talent Pools with Skills-Based Hiring

InStride launches InSkilling, a solution that helps organizations expand their talent pools through skils-based hiring.

InStride is the premier global provider of strategic enterprise education for companies that need to align their talent & workforce needs with business objectives.

Michelle Westfort, SVP Academic Partnerships, Instride, has been selected to join the EWA Spring 2020 Cohort of Exceptional Women Awardees

Recent press releases

SSM Health removes barriers to education with program that provides upfront tuition funds

Employee Benefit News names InStride’s Michelle Hamilton as one of 2023’s Excellence in Benefits Awards honorees

InStride Launches Solution That Expands Talent Pools with Skills-Based Hiring