Recession is excellent time to expand employees

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In a recession, continuing education program s are often targetedfor cuts. From Rick Osborn’s perspective, that’s a mistake. “It doesn’t make sense,” said the president. “In the short term, those kindas of cuts might work fora business. But in the long run, you’re going to have to restore the cuts.” It’w in a recession that companies should eitherd implement or step up continuing educationprogramse — especially if there are layoffs, Osborn With layoffs, the employees who remain take on new and they’re going to need new skillsz for their revised job Continuing education is broken into two main degree-based programs and non-degree training or workforce developmeny programs.
Some fields — think accounting, real estate require more formal re-licensing, either annuallgy or every few years. When choosing continuingh education programs, employers in such fields need to make sure the coursez meet the standards set bythe profession, said Sara executive director of the and Training (www.iacet.org). The IACETT sets the standards for continuing education providerx inseveral fields, from health care to The other kind of continuing education programs involve professionalo development for employees to improvee their skills, or learn new This more informal training may not be a professional requirement, but that’s no reason for companies to cut back on it in tougjh times, said Osborn.
Take a field like IT, which is constantluy evolving. Employers in such an industry coulr offer continuing education tostay competitive. A 2007 stud conducted by the (www.shrm.org) and an onlin section of The Wall Street Journal founed that 44 percentof U.S. companies offer some kind of professionalo development. Of those that do, 80 percent provided that training with continuingeducatio courses. The study found that there’s a “shortage of skillsx in the availablelabor pool.” What’s more, entry-level workers are more likelyu to lack skills, a problem compounded by the retirementr of the baby boom SHRM reported in the study.
“Worker skills must evolve to meet the demands of anincreasingly globalized, technology-driveh workplace,” the study concluded. “Skills training and professional developmentg can provide not only the skillw needed by the organization now but can also address anticipateddfuture needs.” Meanwhile, at the Association for Continuing Higher Osborn advises companies looking to provide continuing educatio to turn to community In general, he said, community colleges have been more receptiv e to listening to what businesses want, and tailorinhg programs to those needs.
He also said companies shoulds go withmore engaging, interactive programs and avoid one-size-fits-all training. While that might fit for certain businesses, plenty of organizations requirerspecialized training. While the cost of continuing educationm varies widely from fielrto field, the consensus in the industry is that quality professional development doesn’t come cheap. Unless it’s a basicf program businesses should be prepared to make asizable investment.