Partnerships between higher education institutions and corporations can help facilitate career connections and link students to more learning opportunities. By banding together, these entities can increase student access to promising career pathways and better prepare students to enter the workforce.
Most recently, Arizona State University, national nonprofit Education at Work, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona shed more light on their partnership that connects students with industry jobs. The program enables participating students at ASU to develop essential resume-building skills and experience working on behalf of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona’s Customer Advocacy Team. In addition to acquiring skills and earning hourly wages, participating students also earn up to $5,250 per year of employer-paid tuition assistance to help offset the cost of their education.
"Arizona's students are the future of our state, and we are proud to be part of their success," said Joe Greenberg, Chief Operating Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. "Alongside Education at Work, we are able to provide career-ready skills and financial stability to help build a better workforce for Arizona."
Since the program’s launch in 2021, it has grown from an initial pilot of 25 students to now enrolling more than 50 students. The program enables students to gain valuable healthcare industry experience while granting students the opportunity to collect earnings to offset the cost of education. Thus far, student outcomes of participating in the program are promising; students who have participated in the program have achieved significantly higher graduation rates than their peers, while also earning more than $38 million in wages and tuition assistance.
"We're proving that college affordability and economic mobility are two sides of the same coin. Meaningful career experiences do not have an outsized impact on the odds of success after college, they enable students to put a significant debt in college cost," said Jaime Nunez, President of Education at Work, which is a member of the national nonprofit Strada Collaborative. "Employers like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona know that harnessing the potential of college students can not only solve short-term talent needs, but also help to strengthen the workforce of the future."
Nationwide, more Education at Work students are employed working full-time after graduation than their peers. The nonprofit works to connect students with healthcare jobs to earn valuable career experience while also earning money for college. Outcomes of the program boast that:
- Participating students are 25% more likely to graduate from their institution
- Participating students take on 40% less student debt in comparison to their institutional peers
- 75% of the participating students identify as students of color
- 50% of participating students are first generation college graduates
Since its inception in 2012, Education at Work has awarded over $95 million in combined wages and tuition assistance to nearly 8,000 students nationwide. By developing a strong partnership with Arizona State University and now Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, more students have the opportunity to gain critical industry-specific skills.
"Blue Cross Blue Shift of Arizona gave me the opportunity to gain more knowledge of the healthcare field," said Jacqueline Gonzalez, one of the ASU students working with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. "I feel more confident in obtaining a full-time position as a healthcare major after graduation.