Three Benefits of a University Partnership

When you think about establishing a partnership between your business and a university, the primary objective might be focused solely on talent sourcing. However, partnering with a university can go well beyond talent acquisition. Here are three other benefits of establishing a university partnership:

Talent at the forefront of technology

Perhaps the biggest benefit an education-to-business partnership can offer is the training employees will receive as a result of continuing their education. They will attain skills that can immediately be applied to your company. For example a non-skilled hospital worker can be eligible for a Medical Billing & Coding Certificate program, then progress through a Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management degree and finally work to pursue a Master of Health Informatics (MHI) degree.

Access to top-tier academic programs from accredited universities that are highly ranked and respected

When an employee decides to advance their education, you want them to earn their degree from a trusted and accredited university. Having an established education partner ensures that you’re pairing your employees with a university where they can develop skills required for success at your organization. For a potential student, finding the right college is a difficult decision and competition for that potential student is fierce. Students today have many options for furthering their education. There are public universities, private universities, for-profit universities, not-for-profit universities, on-campus programs or online programs. Selecting a university and program that is accredited is paramount, but having the right accreditation is also important.

An accreditation ensures that the institution that you are planning to attend is regularly assessed by an independent agency on the quality of the education it provides. Regional accreditations are considered to be more rigorous and awarded to academically focused institutions. National accreditations are awarded to schools with a focus on professional development, technical skills or religious educations. Regionally accredited schools typically allow for easy transfer of college credits between regionally accredited schools.  Nationally accredited schools are focused on preparing students for a specific trade or career. A nationally accredited school may not award credits and their credits are less likely to be recognized by other institutions. Having an education partner ensures your employees educational investment is well-suited to your industry needs. The US Department of Education’s College Navigator tool can be a valuable resource for understanding a school’s accreditation.

Powerful recruiting tool and retention benefit

According to the Sallie Mae annual report: How America Pays for College families are more likely to consider cost over academic criteria when choosing a college. In 2018-2019 families spent an average of $26,226 and 24% of the costs were covered by borrowing (Source: SallieMae.com). Companies that have established tuition remission programs help to alleviate the burden of rising education costs. Companies can leverage this benefit to recruit top-talent. A tuition-benefit can also be a powerful retention tool. Employees who benefit from tuition reimbursement can be required to stay with a company for a longer period of time, but generally beneficiaries of employer tuition remission programs will stay longer or qualify for promotions within their company. When you are able to retain your employees, recruitment costs will also go down.

A great education partnership can yield a lot of value for your business. For nearly 20 years the University of Cincinnati has offered high-quality online education to working professionals through UC Online. There are over 90 online programs providing students the flexibility to continue working without the need to relocate or delay career advancement. Find out more about how a partnership with the University of Cincinnati can benefit your organization.