Recession is excellent time to expand employees

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In a recession, continuing educationn programs are often targeted for FromRick Osborn’s perspective, that’s a mistake. “Itg doesn’t make sense,” said the (www.acheinc.org) president. “Inb the short term, those kinds of cuts might work for a But in thelong run, you’re going to have to restore the cuts.” It’s in a recession that companies should eithef implement or step up continuing education programs especially if there are layoffs, Osbornm said. With layoffs, the employees who remain take on new and they’re going to need new skills for their revisedr job descriptions.
Continuing education is broken into twomain degree-based programs and non-degree trainintg or workforce development programs. Some fieldsx — think nursing, accounting, real estatwe — require more formalp re-licensing, either annually or every few When choosing continuingeducation programs, employers in such fields need to make sure the courses meet the standarda set by the profession, said Sara executive director of the and Trainingg (www.iacet.org). The IACET sets the standards for continuing education providers in several from health careto education.
The other kind of continuingh education programs involve professional development for employees to improvertheir skills, or learn new ones. This more informa training may not be aprofessional requirement, but that’ s no reason for companies to cut back on it in touguh times, said Osborn. Take a field like IT, which is constantlyt evolving. Employers in such an industry coulr offer continuing education tostay competitive. A 2007 stud y conducted by the (www.shrm.org) and an online section of The Wall Streetf Journal found that 44 percentof U.S.
companiex offer some kind of professional Of thosethat do, 80 percengt provided that training with continuing education The study found that there’s a “shortage of skillzs in the available labor pool.” What’s more, entry-levelp workers are more likely to lack skills, a proble m compounded by the retirement of the baby boom SHRM reported in the study. “Workefr skills must evolve to meet the demands of anincreasinglty globalized, technology-driven workplace,” the studyt concluded. “Skills training and professional development can provide not only the skillds needed by the organization now but can also addresws anticipatedfuture needs.
” Meanwhile, at the Associationh for Continuing Higher Education, Osborn advises companiew looking to provide continuing education to turn to community In general, he said, communitg colleges have been more receptive to listening to what businesses and tailoring programs to those needs. He also said companiese should go withmore engaging, interactivde programs and avoid one-size-fits-all training. While that might fit for certain businesses, plenty of organizations requirespecializede training. While the cost of continuinh education varies widely from fieldto field, the consensues in the industry is that quality professionapl development doesn’t come cheap.
Unless it’s a basic progra businesses should be prepared to make asizablw investment.