How to Write a Synthesis Essay: Creating or Improving a Tuition Assistance Program

Introduction 

A tuition assisted program (TAP) is an avenue through which employers give financial assistance to the employees undertaking education courses that satisfy specific criteria (Johnson, 2005). This is a corporate tool that ensures the nurturing of talents and educational advancement of the employees. It is also a means of supporting learning and development initiatives. This system exists in two models; employer providing the course tuition fee before the employee completing it or through reimbursements where the employee pays for the course subject to the employer recompensing the money once the course is completed and the set criteria met (Johnson, 2005). By offering an educational assistance program as an additional employee benefits package, employers stand a chance to attract and retain talented individuals. Thus, the ensuing system should be constructed in a manner that serves the company’s retention agenda while also ensuring sustenance of employee’s educational goals (Bloink & Byrnes, 2017). 

Key Elements of a Successful Tuition Assistance Program 

The modern age oozes constant technological advancement coupled with the increased demand for innovative business agenda. This continues to pile pressure on the businesses and corporations regarding ensuring they deliver quality and relevant products, goods, and services (Kane, 2007). It is, therefore, imperative that employers permit, endorse and reward upskilling of employee credentials. Failure of taking this initiative would only make one run the risk of running an obsolete business. 

Currently, the success of such programs is hampered by the numerous employees who still utilize the obsolete reimbursement strategies, thereby placing the learning opportunities way out of reach for a majority of the employees (Kane, 2007). Others unwittingly discourage employee participation in these programs through poor administration and marketing of the programs. By failing to attach these programs to career development impetus, they unknowingly discourage the involvement of the employees. 

The business environment today is littered by tight labor markets, stiff competitions and increased interest of personal and professional growth amongst employees. This gives corporations the need to create a development culture that would sustain their competitive and agenda and ensure they remain relevant in the market (Bloink & Byrnes, 2017). Consequently, such employers have to utilize an insolent, more integrated and operational tuition assistance program that would deliver a comprehensive development culture. Such a program is identified through a set of seven key elements, as provided by the Aspen Institute in association with the Institute for Corporate Productivity (Bloink & Byrnes, 2017). The ensuing modernized program helps employers produce a workforce comprising of continuous learners. 

First, the program needs to be tied to the purpose, goals, and objectives of the particular organization. Secondly, the program must command visible support and endorsement by the stakeholders (Abraham & Clark, 2006). Third, the program should be integrated into the marketing and promotional strategies of the organization to encourage employees to take part. Forth, it must be anchored on a flexible, inclusive environment to allay the fear of favoritism and bias (Abraham & Clark, 2006). Also, the program needs to be implemented through affordable means. Otherwise, the low-earners are sure to be locked out, particularly in a reimbursement platform. Additionally, there is a need to center the program on near-term success platform (Abraham & Clark, 2006). Lastly, the program needs to have a measurement and monitoring system for feedback purposes. 

Advantages of Effective Tuition Assistance Programs 

A correctly set and implemented tuition assistance strategy is essential in ensuring a reduced turnover within the business. This is beneficial for employers in the sense that it eliminates the need to retrain the new workforce (Norcross, Ellis & Sayette, 2010). Besides, it helps position a company as a good and favorable place to work. Employee tuition assistance is an employee benefit that ensures reduced turn-over (McLaughlin, 2010). Employers can also deduct the benefits in terms of business expenses, thereby helping save on taxes. 

The tuition assistance programs are also beneficial to employees in many ways. First, it ensures improved professional skills, a benefit which is as well transferable to the business thereby improving the business transactions (Harnett, 2016). Secondly, it inspires hard work, loyalty, and motivation as a means of improving the work output and ensuring an improved bottom line. Overall, tuition assistance programs are essential in ensuring increased turnover within the businesses (Harnett, 2016). 

Tuition Assistance Strategies 

Companies need to strategies on proper implementation of their tuition assistance programs lest they twice for the same learning. This is possible particularly in systems where the learning and development are dissociated from the tuition benefits aspect of the human resource (Johnson, 2005). Employers will need to ensure that employees do not retake subjects that they have already taught through their development agenda. This is particularly important since most trainings carried out within the organizations are at college levels and are worth college credits (McLaughlin, 2010). 

The learning leaders can curtail such problems by encouraging their employees to take up college credit for both formal and on-the-job learning. This would ensure that employers do not spend twice for the same learning program, thereby leaving funds for helping more employees to achieve educational success (Harnett, 2016). For this to work effectively, there is need to ensure that the learning that goes on outside the classroom is credible and is quantifiable for purposes of achieving given credits. The stakeholders can ensure that these evaluations are credible by hiring recognized evaluators, letting the tuition assistance benefits to be to be utilized for personalized employee assortment and allowing credible university or college accredited partners to evaluate the training (Norcross, Ellis & Sayette, 2010). 

References 

Abraham, K. G., & Clark, M. A. (2006). Financial aid and students’ college decisions evidence from the District of Columbia Tuition Assistance Grant Program.  Journal of Human resources ,  41 (3), 578-610. 

Bloink, R., & Byrnes, W. H. (2017). What’s required for employer-sponsored tuition assistance programs.  BenefitsPRO , 1. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=124635458&site=ehost-live 

Harnett, T. (2016). Tuition Assistance Programs: Current Perspectives.  Chief Learning Officer ,  15 (11), 30–31. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=119324628&site=ehost-live 

Johnson, R. (2005). The Learning Curve: The Value of Tuition Assistance.  Training ,  42 (11), 30–33. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=19156753&site=ehost-live 

Kane, T. J. (2007). Evaluating the impact of the DC tuition assistance grant program.  Journal of Human resources ,  42 (3), 555-582. 

McLaughlin, J. P. (2010).  A statistical analysis of the effect of the Navy's Tuition Assistance program: do distance learning classes make a difference? . Naval Postgraduate School Monterey CA. 

Norcross, J. C., Ellis, J. L., & Sayette, M. A. (2010). Getting in and getting money: A comparative analysis of admission standards, acceptance rates, and financial assistance across the research–practice continuum in clinical psychology programs.  Training and Education in Professional Psychology ,  4 (2), 99–104. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014880