Introducing a program of research on the impact of College for America
Click to Navigate
When we launched College for America four years ago, our vision was to create a new model for higher education: one that was accountable for delivering learning that is applicable in the workplace, and one that meets the needs of today’s learner by being far more flexible and affordable than traditional options.
Guided by this vision, our Workforce Partnerships Team works directly with employers to offer our degree and certificate programs to their employees. Our employer partners help us to ensure our offerings are relevant to the needs of the labor market, and support our students as they reach their academic and personal goals. A partnership with us is designed to support strategic workforce development: resulting in higher employee engagement, retention, and performance.
We take accountability seriously. As a non-profit university with decades of experience serving students, outcomes are central to everything that we do. Our success is measured by our students’ success. And we believe that when our students succeed, so do their employers.
The future of higher education is in models that are relentless in pursuing greater outcomes for more learners. Please join us here to continue the conversation!
Southern New Hampshire University’s College for America helps our students become more successful personally and professionally – and their employers can see the benefits. We asked our partners to compare participating students with the company’s non-participating employees. Here’s what they reported.
Employee Retention
100% believe they’re as likely or more likely to retain College for America students, with 10% reporting they are much more likely.
Promotion
43% of respondents indicated that College for America students were promoted more often.
Absenteeism
43% felt that College for America students missed work less often.
“Our employees learn something and can then immediately use it. It’s positive for the business and the student.”
– Executive VP, Human Resources
College for America partnerships bring benefits to the overall workforce by signaling a dedication to employee development and well-being.
Employee Satisfaction
53% of responding partners felt that their entire workforce, not just College for America students, was “more” or “much more” satisfied since offering the program to employees.
Employee Loyalty
Among respondents, 34% believe that offering College for America programs to employees made the entire workforce more loyal.
“This is a benefit that we intend to leverage as a recruitment tool to help battle the hiring challenges that we see annually.”
– Director, Human Resources
Students have positive experiences with College for America and see its impact on their lives.
Applicability
86% of students agree with the assertion that “College for America will help them with their current job.”
91%
Good Value
91% of students believe College for America is a good value.
95%
Satisfaction
95% of students report they are satisfied with College for America.
When shaping our approach, we looked at prior studies that explored the business value of employee development programs. We examined which metrics have been used to gauge the success of employee education programs and how the returns on investment were calculated, as well as the markers of effective programs. You can download a summary of the information we’ve found most valuable here.
Download PDF
Employer-Reported Data (Observations and Impact on the Overall Workforce)
Student-Reported Data (Student Impact)
This research is, in part, supported by a generous grant from the Walmart Foundation.
Become a Partner