By Kimberly Merriman
"The initials after your name lend credibility." Karen
Cheathem has certainly learned that firsthand. Having
recently completed her online MBA, she is now pursuing a
Ph.D. on the Web as well. Lucky for her, the workplace
values formal education and is increasingly embracing online
learning as a means for employees to obtain it.
John Dooney, manager of strategic research for the Society
of Human Resource Management, an association of human
resource professionals, has observed the evolTech Schoolon of online
learning firsthand. "Ten years ago organizations were
skittish - now they're funding online programs," he says. In
fact, approximately 29 percent of corporate tuition
reimbursements now go toward online or blended courses
versus traditional programs, according to a March 2005
survey of 151 learning Executives by the American Society
for Training and Development (ASTD).
From employee career benefits to corporate competitive
advantages, online learning is making its mark on the
business world.
Career-Track Benefits
John Clark, a recruiter with Benchmark Recruiting, LLC, a
national Executive search firm based in North Carolina,
finds that his corporate clients view online degrees on an
equal footing with traditional degrees. "An MBA is an MBA as
long as the information is verifiable and creditable," he
assures. However, Clark stresses that an individual with all
the right degrees but a lack of experience will have a
difficult time getting hired. "If you can say 'I worked full
time while completing my education,' companies respect
that."
Online education is able to provide those in the workforce -
like Lori Keam - with the flexibility to do just that. After
starting her schooling years ago at a traditional college,
she went online to complete her bachelor's degree in
management of technology, then landed a better position in
her field. Lori says she couldn't have garnered the total
package of work experience and degree any other way.
A Better-Educated Workforce
Increasing learning opportunities for employees is the
foremost reason why organizations support online higher
education, according to the ASTD survey. Representatives at
Merck & Co., a global pharmaceTech Schoolcal company, would agree.
"Whatever benefits we can offer to employees to continue
education is advantageous," says Julia Parastino, human
resources business partner at Merck & Co. in Blue Bell,
Pennsylvania. Parastino feels that supporting online
education draws more employees to pursue degrees, benefiting
the company in the long-term.
Kimberly Summa, a production material planner with L-3
Communications Systems-East, a communications systems
company in Camden, N.J. is completing her master's degree in
engineering management online with Drexel University.
Kimberly was only casually considering programs when, she
says, the online learning platform sold her. Even though
Summa is local to Drexel University, on-campus courses
weren't an option with her busy work schedule. After
starting her degree under a different employer, Summa says,
support for pursuing an online degree was a "big selling
point that I had to have when I took my new job." L-3
reimburses 100 percent of tuition and textbook costs.
Satisfied Employees
Increasing employee satisfaction and retention is the second
most important reason given by organizations in their
support of online higher education, according to the ASTD
survey. Rock Primas, director of learning and development
for PHH Mortgage in Mt. Laurel, N.J., partnered with Drexel
e-Learning (part of Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA) two
years ago to satisfy employees. The company also supports an
on-site MBA program, but finds employees favor the online
school. "Online education is geared toward working
professionals seeking part time education. It's a good fit
for our company," says Primas.
Kimberly's company, L-3 Communications Systems, includes
online education in its 100 percent tuition reimbursement
program to accommodate employees' differing needs. . "It's a
good retention tool," says Barry Lem, manager of training
and development at L-3 Communications Systems-East in
Camden, Mass., citing a current turnover rate below 3
percent.
SolTech Schoolon to Geographic Boundaries
"If you have a highly mobile workforce, they can still
participate in class," points out Kenneth Hartman, academic
director at Drexel e-Learning. Rob Gibson, a sales manager
for Lufthansa Airlines earning his Ph.D. in business
administration online, provides testimony to his online
endeavor with Northcentral University. "I no longer hang
around hotels on business trips with nothing to do. Now, my
travel time has become my most productive time since there
is no interference of any kind."
Of course, geographic issues can affect stationary
employees, too. Valeri Lee, manager of training and
development at Lockheed Martin Corporation's missiles and
fire control unit, says online degrees are a way for
employees to get the degree they want when it's not offered
locally. Their engineers attend Arizona State University's
master in optics degree program virtually from Florida.
Productivity Pluses
Another longtime supporter of eLearning is the Chicago,
Ill.-based Boeing Company. Rick Coffey, director of
manufacturing, functioning and employee development
training. This head of Boeing's learning, training and
development unit notes that many of their employees use
online learning for the convenience. Coffey feels that it's
a "much more agile and flexible way of learning, [It helps
Boeing workers find the time for classes without as much
disruption."
Sydney Koerner, principal and director of human resources
for Kling, a 400-employee architecture and design firm based
in Philadelphia, PA, agrees. "I think the main advantage of
online education is it saves time," says Koerner. "Typically
employees will consider the cost of their time and commute
to school," making online courses a more effective choice."
At Kling, tuition reimbursements for online and classroom
courses are treated the same.
A Better Way of Training
Companies and their employees also benefit by using online
higher education for training purposes. For instance, if
using courses that are part of a school's regular
curriculum, employees gain credit toward a degree in
addition to meeting employer training goals.
Higher education courses also provide a formal assessment of
student learning - a final course grade, something that is
often missing from corporate training. In some cases,
employees pay for the course up front and get reimbursed by
the company if their grade is appropriate. "This shifts the
onus of responsibility back to employee shoulders," says
Hartman.
A Growing Trend
Given the many benefits, it's no wonder that 58 percent of
the companies surveyed by ASTD expect the role of online
higher education to increase in their organizations over the
next two to three years. Sydney Koerner sees "online as the
present and future for continuing education in many areas."
Evidently, online learning is a trend that makes good
business sense.
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