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Tuition Assistance Plans
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Tuition Assistance Plans
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Why are Tuition Assistance Plans (TAP) always left out of the "learning" equation? Companies often spend millions of dollars on this "employee benefit", but don't link it with learning initiatives, su
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Tuition Assistance Plans
posted at 6/2/2009 9:59 AM EDT
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Posts: 6
First: 7/1/2003 Last: 7/1/2011 |
Why are Tuition Assistance Plans (TAP) always left out of the "learning" equation? Companies often spend millions of dollars on this "employee benefit", but don't link it with learning initiatives, succession planning of the masses, employee recruit/retain, diversity advancements. Its not part of LMS reporting and rarely structured from "internal benchmarking" as most TAP policies are more or less "boiler plate". There are so many facets and value-add that can be derived from best-practice TAP than merely focusing on it as an administration/process issue. |
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Tuition Assistance Plans
posted at 6/8/2009 11:30 AM EDT
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Posts: 50
First: 11/21/2005 Last: 11/2/2009 |
I agree, I don't know why either. My company made some policy changes to better align the investment with organizational strategy, but beyond that they don't treat the tuition reimbursment benefit as part of the employee development domain.
It isn't formally tracked, relationships and/or partnerships with university faculty are not cultivated, there is no network linking students or alumni, we are not required to share what we learned with each other nor are we expected to perform differently at work, we don't evaluate the outcomes... Maybe it's because it's treated as a benefit not as HRD. It is rare that these HR systems are ever connected. Another reason may be that the relationship with universities is hard to maintain. I've been on both sides and I know that when I worked at a university we did not serve the community as well as we could have. |
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Tuition Assistance Plans
posted at 6/29/2011 5:00 PM EDT
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Posts: 1
First: 6/29/2011 Last: 6/29/2011 |
As Justasking stated, Tuition Aid Policies (TAP's) are viewed as employee benefits and not as human resource development tools. Employers want to believe that most of their employees have already acquired a higher education prior to employment. For those employees who have not acquired their degree or formal training accessing those benefits can a nightmare. Some companies use TAP 's like retailers use rebates. They advertise the TAP to new hires and jazz up all the perks secretly hoping they will forget to access the benefits. So instead of the employees using the funding available it falls by the wayside and the company figures it's a gain when it's really a huge loss for all. My company has a TAP that has an undergraduate benefit of up to $30,000 and graduate benefit of up to $25,000. However, since the company is a huge departmentalized corporation access is granted or denied based on individual departmental budgets. So in efforts to maintain certain "numbers" the management staff in my department does not publicize the TAP. Which is very sad an unfortunate for all employees. By using TAP as an HRD tool the company and the employees benefit. The employees gain knowledge and confidence which are traits that are beneficial to all. TAP is an investment in employees and employees are investments in the company. When will companies realize this? |
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Tuition Assistance Plans
posted at 6/30/2011 8:58 AM EDT
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Posts: 2442
First: 2/12/2000 Last: 9/14/2011 |
""TAP is an investment in employees and employees are investments in the company""
Your statement is correct but measuring the return on this investment is difficult. Does it mean employee loyalty? Not really measuable Lower turnover? Only if we compare this group to other internal groups and do not know anyone that does this metric. Better performance post education? Anyone tracking this metric? Or does it actually lead to higher turnover once the non degreed person becomes degreed and the company does not have away to put this person a career path that will utilize the new found education? |
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Tuition Assistance Plans
posted at 6/30/2011 10:09 AM EDT
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Posts: 6
First: 7/1/2003 Last: 7/1/2011 |
All those outocmes of TAP can be tracked and it is not that hard, but Benefits don't want to do it because no one in the company has asked them to do it. TAP administration should stay with Benefits, but the policy, measuring, cost-savings ideas and resources for employees to be able to analyze and compare degree programs should be given to the employees to make wiser decisions with the TAP money they have to spend. All these services and more is what EASi does - and successfully - but how to you get HRD to take on the roles that TAP will not? CFO mandates? CLO mandates? Procurement manadate? Who is the right person in a company to get a bridge between TAP/Benefits and HRD for best use of education/learning money? Please advise. |
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Tuition Assistance Plans
posted at 6/30/2011 11:50 AM EDT
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Posts: 2442
First: 2/12/2000 Last: 9/14/2011 |
You say TAP should stay with Benefits. Isn't that part of HR Department?
What is EASi? Employee Assistance? That is not normally part of HR and I am not sure that TAP should be in that scope. It sounds like your biggest issue is that you do not feel that the employer is offering sufficient information for employees to make the right choice regarding Training/Educational assistance. That would appear to be a simple issue to rectify. Just establish an internal website and post all the information there that the employee would need to make the recommendation to the company. This is very much up to the employee to decide since no else can easily determine career goals and the learning requirements for the chosen career. I am sure you can undestand that HR does not be in the position of recommending what programs to either take or not take. Still not sure what you want this bridge person to do in this space. Employees must own their career plans not the employer. It takes both a big time committment and a big $$ committment and then it can all be lost when the person walks out the door. This is why employers rather just hire fully educated and fully experienced staff for their open positions. Finally you state "but the policy, measuring, cost-savings ideas and resources for employees to be able to analyze and compare degree programs should be given to the employees to make wiser decisions with the TAP money they have to spend" This is not and should not be a unilateral employee spending decision given the amounts involved. Before the company commits to spending $30,000 there should be an analysis that shows that there is a reasonable likelihood that the firm will need and deploy the skills when the employee acquires them. Otherwise don't do approve. Given the new world of employment where most employees are turning over in 3 years I would expect that not many companies will be approving these high $$ degree programs in the future. |
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Tuition Assistance Plans
posted at 6/30/2011 12:26 PM EDT
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Posts: 6
First: 7/1/2003 Last: 7/1/2011 |
Howard - I'd be happy to discuss this with you as a private conversation as may take too long to write. I've been in this field ofr 30 years and much of what you comment on is not true in corporate america. EASi stands for Educational Advisory Services, Inc. and we have been in the heart of TAP and HR for 30 years. If you are with a company that provides TAP, I think I could shed some real light on this subject for you. There are simple/fast ways to solve all these issues and make TAP a best-practice for the learner and the corporation - but no one is doing it in industry and part of that is because they don't know where the problems are nor how to fix them. If interested: DrIvery@e-a-s.com |
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Tuition Assistance Plans
posted at 6/30/2011 12:58 PM EDT
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Posts: 2442
First: 2/12/2000 Last: 9/14/2011 |
"There are simple/fast ways to solve all these issues and make TAP a best-practice for the learner and the corporation - but no one is doing it in industry and part of that is because they don't know where the problems are nor how to fix them."
This concerns me. No one is doing it because they don't know where the problems are nor how to fix them. This implies that no one "gets it". Suggest you think about this. Consider that there are many smart folks in all the companies in HR and other related fields. I will not accept that they do not know where the problems are or how fix them. When someone comes along and says they are the only one that gets it, it makes me very suspicious that this is a real significant problem. However lets just say this is a fact. Then it would have been published somewhere to awaken the rest of us. Are there articles in recognized journals on the importance, signficance and implications of this issue not being solved? By the way, how can we know what is a Best Practice solution if no has solved the problem? Justaskin'.......... |
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Tuition Assistance Plans
posted at 7/1/2011 8:58 AM EDT
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Posts: 6
First: 7/1/2003 Last: 7/1/2011 |
I'm not saying I'm all knowing, but if companies "got it" why do these problems exist that are costing companies often millions of dollars of loss - and not getting the retention or use out of the employees they do pay for their education. It is due to the iron curtain that stands between HRD and TAP/Benefits Administration. Also most companies don't get college credit for equivalent training courses and lose more money that way too. You are right, usually when i talk to TAP/Admin. they understand the problem but have no authority to do anything than the administration/process of that employee benefit. When I talk to HRD, they get it, but say that have no authority over anything related to TAP. So, the bridge between the two is needed, but no one does it. This is the message I try to bring with products/services to make it happen. And yes I am an entrepreneur that has had passion for this problem for 30 years and earned a doctorate to try and understand it better. Am I ashamed to be a vendor - no. I am trying to provide a much needed service to industry but they aren't interested enough to take action. Thus, my questions for those out there that are in corporations and deal with learning issues. Sorry if I offended anyone, but a vendor is NOT an evil person - they may have some ideas that can really help which is their goal. Don't reply as I will leave this post. |
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