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Hosting an education event provides an excellent opportunity
to expose your employees to many new education and career
enhancement programs that are currently being offered by our
nation’s colleges and universities. Your employees will have
immediate access to all the latest trends, techniques, technologies
and practices that are being utilized by other organizations similar
to yours. Ultimately, by investing in your most valuable resource,
your people, your company will realize a long-term return on this
investment. There are several issues that should be taken into consideration
when planning this type of event.
Why:
- Develop a purpose or mission statement for this event.
- Align this event to your companies’ overall objectives for
employee development.
- Decide if this event will help deliver a message of commitment
to excellence.
- Determine if there are training or education issues that
aren’t being met internally.
- Determine if this is a win-win scenario for the company and
the employee.
Who:
- Define the target audience of employees and match the programs
and schools accordingly.
- Decide which schools to invite. Base this decision on the
programs that each school offers in order to ensure that the
programs are in alignment with your company’s overall long-term
objectives.
- Gain support from key decision-makers in your company
regarding the benefits of employee development through education.
- Make arrangements to have related employee services
participate in order to answer questions such as a Human Resource
individual who is knowledgeable on all employee tuition assistance
questions.
How:
- Decide on an appropriate promotional campaign. Tie it into a
theme that is in alignment with your company’s mission statement.
- Choose flyers, posters, email, etc. to increase awareness.
- Ensure that the channels of communication are open to all
managers regarding this opportunity and that they are aware that
employees will be visiting this event.
When:
- Choose a date for this event that does not conflict with any
other company events or company changes that might minimize
participation.
- Set timelines for all the activities that must occur prior to
this event. Allow at least 6-8 weeks to ensure that all steps are
in place.
- Set up this event during a time of day that will maximize
employee participation. Consider shift changes if applicable.
Where:
- Event should be held in area that is easily accessible.
- It is recommended that the event not be held in a
cafeteria or eating area but rather in an education/training area
or large conference room.
- Ensure that the size of the area is adequate to accommodate
the schools and the number of employees who might participate.
- If your organization has multiple locations, separate dates
might be appropriate to ensure equity to all employees.
Organizing an event such as this is not necessarily an
overwhelming task but does require some effort and commitment. All
of the schools that you will invite have probably participated in
several of these events and are very knowledgeable on what
information to provide and what to expect. The key element to a
successful event such as this is finding an internal “champion” who
will ensure that all of the steps on the checklist are in place.
The primary goal at PACE (Partners in Adult Continuing Education)
is to assist your organization in promoting education as a means to
ensure growth and stability in your company and in the community.
Whether your employees choose one accredited college or university
over another, the important factor to consider is your employees’
ability to choose the best path to enhance their careers. We hope
that this information helps in achieving this goal.
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