Supporting your staff with this benefit can demonstrate how you value their growth.

Companies open up great opportunities when they take a holistic approach to supporting employee success. Such an approach means providing staff with a variety of added-value programs, including formal mentoring, performance development, career counseling and — possibly the most impactful of all — tuition assistance.

Through tuition assistance, employees can obtain advanced degrees and certifications they might not otherwise pursue. Many companies use this benefit to attract and help retain top talent at various levels within their organization. More and more we're seeing organizations partner with universities to make the most out of their tuition assistance benefit — some even going as far
as to provide degree programs for no cost to employees who take advantage of this benefit. Supporting their employees in this way sends a signal that the company prioritizes each individual employee's well-being and educational goals.

Invest in your employees' success

For prospective employees, tuition assistance benefits are part of the value proposition. When a company offers degree pathways and leadership development programs, employees are doing
more than beginning a new position — they are entering into a new phase of their career. Pursuing additional education or training opens the door for increased responsibility and promotions.

This is especially true for millennials. In my experience, professionals in that age group are more likely to seek new challenges and accomplishments shortly after starting a position. They'll start to ask if a degree, such as an MBA, might help propel them up the management chain. Tuition assistance can offer them more incentive to reach for the goals they see beckoning on the horizon.

Create career pathways, internally

Tuition assistance can also help companies as they seek to promote individuals from within. For example, even if employees who began their career as salespeople or call center representatives have progressed into leadership roles within a company, they may never have completed a bachelor's degree. With tuition assistance, they can complete their academic credentialing
and get ready to take on even more responsibilities.

Expand communication skills

Earning a degree can also teach valuable on-the-job communication skills. As a member of Capella University's School of Business and Technology Advisory Board, I along with the other members play a large role in ensuring Capella students are gaining relevant skills to move forward in their career. We provide insights into the hands-on learning experiences necessary to lead and contribute to their organizations.

In my role at Frontier, I've witnessed how pursing additional education through institutions that teach job-relevant skills can expand employees' ability to express themselves. Formal coursework and projects in degree programs require that your employees share their point of view in written fashion and team with others in different contexts similar to those they experience at their job every day. By strengthening these skills and applying them to written documentation, they are able to think more critically and utilize these skills in their current roles.

Benefit the company at large

Lastly, when you support employees' educational goals, it can have an impact on the entire company. The knowledge and competencies they learn will be shared throughout their department and the organization overall. This can help the company stay relevant and agile, thanks to the constant influx of new ideas and perspectives.

Higher education remains a vital component of today's workforce. By creating pathways to it, we're bolstering our employees' capacity to grow and contribute. That should be a primary goal of any organization.