Should You Go the Extra Education Mile for Your Workers?

If you are a business owner, you need to weigh a lot of extras to find their value.

Some things may not be worth it to provide to your employees, like free dry cleaning if you are business casual, but other opportunities may be cost effective - like continuing education for your employees.

To Pay or Not to Pay

If you have an employee interested in continuing education, you may be able to cover the cost.

A great opportunity is if they can take the classes online and are agreeable to doing it during off hours. That way it won't cut into work time, and you will reap the benefit of a more educated employee.

In this instance, as long as the education relates to your field and business, you may want to cover the cost.

If your employee is seeking a degree or certification in a nonrelated field, you may not want to cover the cost.

Of course, it's altruistic, but you also have to think of your own business and finances and what the return investment will be to you.

What to Expect

If your employee wants to return to education, he or she will need to know what to expect.

As the following article looks at, you can get an idea with a quick Internet search, for instance, "What can I expect from online cosmetology courses?" or "How much time needs to be devoted to online programming classes?"

You also may want to help your employees figure out how many classes they'll take. Will it be a one shot deal or a whole program to add on certification or a degree?

As you're considering paying for this, think about how much time will be devoted to the class as opposed to work.

Will it take away from work, will they need to cut back hours, how will it enhance the current position or provide opportunity to move up or specialize?

Continuing Education Forecast

Continuing education is becoming more and more popular.

It's a way to be on the road to advancement and earning more money. The more you know, the more marketable you are.

Due to the convenience of continuing education, with classes offered on a variety of campus locations and online, it's easier to do this than it used to be. Numbers of students enrolled in continuing education are on the rise and are expected to continue.

Some students choose to earn a higher degree in their original field, some choose a new field, and some just add classes and add on certification.

As an employer, you probably know that your employees want to make the most of themselves; that's why you hired them.

If you can; support them in their endeavors and see where it takes you all.