Recent staffing shortages in higher education are historic as thousands of industry leaders are looking for ways to fill roles or restructure just to maintain operations. Professionals are choosing to pursue other roles that provide remote work, higher pay and better benefits.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in August 2021 education and health services had about 579,000 professionals quit. Chances are you’re seeing persistent vacancies on your own team, as admission offices have been hit especially hard.
In this article, we’ll discuss how companies are focusing on workforce development, why higher education institutions aren’t providing these services, and how Emerge Education can help.
Companies are Focusing on Upskilling and Reskilling Employees
Upskilling is improving existing employees’ skills and abilities so they can advance in their current roles and careers, such as professional development training. On the other hand, reskilling is training employees for different roles.
There’s a great need for companies to reskill their employees due to the rise in technological advancements, AI and the lack of advanced soft skills in professionals. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report:
- At least half of all employees will need reskilling by 2025
- Two-thirds of employers expect a return on investment from reskilling within one year
Not only do organization leaders need to fill the skills gap, but employees have also come to expect the opportunity. Research shows that 87% of millennials believe learning and development in the workplace is important, and 74% of surveyed employees feel they aren’t reaching their full potential at work due to a lack of development opportunities.
Business leaders recognize the need to offer education and training opportunities to keep employees happy and engaged.
What’s the Hold Up? Staff Shortages
Higher education institutions and employer partnerships can be invaluable for helping businesses respond to growing talent needs. They cut training costs, improve productivity as well as retention and offer employers a reliable way to cultivate an educated workforce.
Staffing shortages are the main problem higher education institutions are facing, which are inhibiting partnerships from flourishing. You may relate to these recent staff shortage statistics:
- Community colleges lost 13% of their employees nationally from January 2020 to April 2022 and continue to struggle with the loss
- In May 2022, over 57% of higher ed survey respondents were likely to look for other employment within the year
Partnerships benefit businesses, their employees and higher education institutions. They also help states and regions become more competitive. However, persistent staff shortages seem to make it impossible.
What if you didn’t need to worry about hiring more staff? That’s where adopting an end-to-end, ready-made educational solution from Emerge Education can help.
Use an Educational Solution to Relieve Staffing Shortages
If your Higher Ed institution is ready to offer workforce development opportunities to your community but lack of staff is holding you back, then it’s time to incorporate an end-to-end, ready-made educational solution.
Emerge Education provides 100% online certificate programs along with a certificate program portal that makes partnering with local companies easy. Our team helps you with program selection of in-demand fields like healthcare, IT and professional development.
What makes Emerge Education different?
With over 100 years of experience in Higher Education across disciplines, there’s no need to onboard more staff when you partner with Emerge Education.
We work with you to develop and manage a branded website so students can seamlessly register for online certificate programs. We also provide a workforce development specialist and success coaches to help students throughout their enrollment.
Reach Out to the Higher Education Experts
If you need help with your institution’s education offerings, then now is the time to reach out to an expert at Emerge Education. As the need for upskilling and reskilling employees remains high, your institution is on the right path to help.
Offer workforce development services to employees and individuals at companies who need it while becoming a greater influence in your region. When you contact Lauren Holubec, Ed.D. for a consultation or visit our higher education page for more information, you’ll take the next steps into relieving critical staff shortages and creating community partnerships that last.
