Continuing Education on Your Time on The Boss's Dime

Nursing, education, IT, business and communications are among the leading fields offering employer paid educational advancement.

Whether in the form of a degree or certificate, these fields are seeing more and more employers footing the bill for their employee's education. Employers in these fields see tuition assistance or reimbursement as a perk which helps career motivation and ensures that employees will stay with the company for years in the future.

The 2009 Employee Benefits Survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 63% of surveyed employers offer undergraduate educational assistance and 59% offer graduate educational assistance. Further, only 7 percent of employers who offer educational assistance plan to reduce or eliminate the benefits in the coming year. This proves that employer funded educational assistance is here to stay. This mutual educational experience leads to more satisfied employees with cutting-edge, innovative ideas which, in turn, benefits the employer.

Online Universities as Credible as Traditional Universities

New research shows that corporations are increasingly hiring applicants with online degrees, indicating that online degrees are being viewed more favorably.

Industry Market Trends recently reported that 76% of Human Resources professionals view online degrees more favorably today than they did 5 years ago, with 58% saying online degrees are equally as credible as degrees from a traditional, brick and mortar university.

This comparison is also evident in employer-funded tuition reimbursements. 95% of these Human Resources professionals noted no difference in tuition assistance for employees attending traditional or online universities.

Online Education Continues to Expand

Janice Barnwell, 44, wanted to boost her career by obtaining a master's degree in business; the working mother went against her prior experience with a brick and mortar school and chose an online university for the convenience and low cost. Her educational experience exceeded her expectations and her employer paid for her to take four more online courses to further sharpen her skills.

"At first I was very intimidated (by taking classes remotely). It's something I've never done," said Barnwell. "But it quickly changed for me because the interaction I had online with my classmates and professors felt real."

The online education sector has been growing at a rate of about 20% per year. Today, 1:4 students take at least some college courses online, up from 1:10 in 2002. Two million students, many older than the typical student age range of 18-22 years, take all of their courses online.

President Barack Obama pledged $500 million for online courses and materials as part of a multi-pronged plan aimed at expanding access to college.

29% of U.S. adults have a college degree and only about 40% of Americans who start college, graduate with a degree. Much of this is attributed to the rising tuition costs of brick and mortar schools which increase by about 8% each year.

Jeff Conlon, chief executive of Kaplan Higher Education with some 59,000 online students, said traditional colleges could not meet Obama's goals for higher education "Obama wants to make us first again by 2020," he said. "In order to do that, we need to create 63 million college graduates over that period. The higher education system as constructed will come up 16 million degrees short. There's not capacity in the system."

The cost at Kaplan for a four-year college degree is around $65,000, compared to up to $150,000 or more at a private college.

By studying online, Barnwell saved on the time and travel to the university nearest her New Jersey home. Her online tuition was less than $30,000, one-third the cost of the university.

Online Professional Continuing Education Programs

Many people wonder if online education is right for them. Kaplan Continuing Education helps people who are interested in increasing their professional development and setting academic and career goals. All courses in the program are designed to give the student a sense of community by bringing other students and faculty together to collaborate and exchange ideas.

Online Education to Grow Your Career Options

Increase your marketability and earning potential by considering a continuing education program. Kaplan Continuing Education provides many different options to help you afford the investment of increasing your qualifications through education. Our academic advisors guide students in making the right choices about tuition and payments.

Advantages of Getting a Professional Certificate from Kaplan Continuing Education

Kaplan Continuing Education provides programs for students to earn professional certificates in today's growing fields. Our advisors help students accomplish their goals and our online classes offer the flexibility needed to study at your own pace, on your own time.

Kaplan Continuing Education on YouTube!

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