The majority (80 per cent) of Canadian executives in the finance industry would be willing to provide tuition reimbursement or professional development for new employees without a degree, according to a survey by Robert Half Canada Inc.
The survey, which polled 270 Canadian finance leaders, found 81 of small organizations and 67 per cent of larger companies would support tuition reimbursement.
Read: Walmart introduces tuition benefit for U.S. employees
Other industries are exploring this trend as well. For example, Walmart Inc. introduced an education benefit for its American employees earlier this year. While employees in the program pay one dollar a day, the company covers books, tuition and fees beyond employee contributions and any financial aid they receive. The aim is to help staff attain degrees in business and supply chain management.
Air Georgian Ltd., a partner of Air Canada, also began offering tuition assistance earlier this year. Under its program, employees receive financial assistance for approved educational courses and programs, as well as paid time off or a reduced work schedule to attend to their studies.
“Employers that provide education and training offerings could see a number of benefits, including improved recruitment and retention efforts and employees with sharpened skill sets,” said Mike Shekhtman, regional manager for Robert Half, in an email to Benefits Canada.
Read: Air Canada partner introduces educational assistance benefit
“Overall, given the competitive hiring market and low unemployment rates, finding a candidate who checks every box isn’t always realistic; skills requirements are evolving so quickly the option to support candidate’s growth and stay ahead of changing skills needs is something many companies are taking advantage of,” he added.
Should employers help employees with tuition reimbursements and offer other educational-related benefits? Have your say in this week’s online poll.
The previous poll asked whether employers have a role to play in censoring discussions about politics in the workplace. The majority (85 per cent) of respondents said no, employers should stay out of it, while 11 per cent said employers should encourage workers to share their political opinions. The remaining four per cent said employers should censor political chatter in the workplace.
