Excelsior College has partnered up with OPM to offer discounted tuitions to the federal employees. This step has been taken to ensure that the skill gap in government jobs is filled optimally. This step is also taken to ensure that the employees become ready for the future roles expected from them.
Federal Employees and Their Spouses will Benefit the Most
The major beneficiaries of this new benefit will be over 1 million employees who are considered to be eligible. The benefit would also cover the spouses or domestic partners of the employees. The percentage of discounts will depend on the type of education one has signed up for.
Federal employees or their spouses pursuing an undergraduate degree would get a 20 percent discount as well as an application fee waiver. Those who are pursuing a graduate degree would be able to get a 15 percent discount.
Quality Education is the Goal
John Ebersole, who serves as Excelsior President recently stated that this step was taken to ensure that the skill gap is closed in the government sector. He also added that the college would provide quality education at an affordable rate. After the employees are better trained, it will help the agencies to meet their workforce needs of the present as well as the future. Some of the courses that are expected to be high in demand are business, cyber security, national security and public service.
The Agreement
The agreement was done with the OPM when the agency realized that there is a skill gap crisis across the nation. There is an abundance of jobs but the candidates applying for them have got fewer skills and credentials. Some of the candidates who possess skills don’t have a quality education, which is a pre-requisite for applying for a job. On the other hand, some agencies are unable to find good candidates with skills to complete specific, technical trades as the candidates applying for the job have no skills.
A Worthy Choice
OPM has stated that Excelsior was a good candidate to help federal employees learn new skills as the college has the mission of providing educational access and educational opportunity to adult learners. It includes the learners who have been underrated in their higher education. The college serves adult learners through online educational courses. It also accepts credit from previous learning experiences of a student.
