Join us for our January Monthly Meeting!
Employee Attraction & Retention through Education Assistance Programs
Brief Synopsis of Program:
Missouri, along with the rest of the United States, is struggling with a worker shortage. Moreover, 40% of today’s jobs require education, preparation and skills than workers simply don’t have. One potential solution to this challenge is employer collaboration with its employees and with education institutions to provide education assistance to close the skills gap that exists for middle-skill jobs. With around 78% of employers providing education financial assistance and only 2-5% of employees taking advantage of this funding, the goal of this presentation is to provide employers with tools to help them attract and retain workers by increasing the utilization rate of their current education assistance programs.
Learning Objectives:
1. List the industry clusters in Missouri facing shortages today and in the next ten years
2. Explain how jobs are classified by level of education and level of preparation and skill
3. Compare and contrast your own job openings, their levels of education, preparation and skills to that of Missouri
4. Recall your own employer’s education assistance program; how is it being utilized by employees?
5. List reasons why employees don’t take advantage of education assistance programs.
6. Know the difference between an employer tuition reimbursement program and a tuition assistance program
7. List ways to increase the use of education assistance programs within your own organization
8. Assess how local area colleges can assist employers with their education assistance programs.
Meet our speaker: Sherry Coker
Sherry Coker is the Executive Director of the Center for Workforce Development (CWD) at Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield, Missouri. She leads an extremely talented team responsible for creating and delivering short-term technical, allied health, and customized workforce training solutions that meet the needs of individuals, business, and industry. Sherry is also a founding board member of the Springfield Tech Council, an organization that brings together businesses, professionals, students, and community members in order to shape and sustain our region’s tech future, as a result creating jobs, retaining talent, and contributing to economic growth. A Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge 2020 graduate, Sherry has a husband and three amazing grown kids.
