Introduction
Maricopa Corporate College (MCOR) was established by the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) in 2013 to serve as a single point of contact for employers interested in partnering with MCCCD to educate and empower Arizona’s workforce. The creation of the corporate college, in and of itself, was an innovation, as the District sought to generate additional revenue, following a nearly $40 million decrease in state funding to the system in 2012 and a complete funding cut in 2016.
Since its inception, MCOR has generated more than $4.5 million, developed several unique products, and bridged access to education for job seekers and incumbent employees alike. As an entity of MCCCD, MCOR has been referred to as a national leader with its innovative and responsive corporate college model.
Innovation Story
When it comes to workforce development and corporate engagement, collaboration between education and business is key. Collaboration, open communication, and a commitment to listening to employers’ needs create an opportunity for partnerships to form and innovation to thrive. It is this willingness to listen to the needs of an insurance employer with a large presence in the Valley that led to the development of our Corporate Education Concierge service.
Through our conversations, we heard a few major pain points from this organization that was seeking to provide up-front employee tuition assistance:
- Only a small percentage of employees were utilizing this benefit
- Those who were utilizing it were finding it difficult to navigate the college experience and often did not have time to visit or attend a physical college campus
- Employees reported confusion with tuition benefit guidelines and requirements
- Students utilizing tuition benefits needed advising and coaching to map education pathways for career advancement more accurately
- Handling billing for several hundred employees at multiple colleges was difficult
After hearing these concerns, we worked together to develop a solution that addressed all of the major challenges of the current system. Our Corporate Education Concierge service has three main components: onsite student support, onsite college classes, and customized third-party billing.
Onsite Student Support
To assist employees in navigating the college experience, a member of our staff is onsite at our clients’ locations, or available virtually for remote work, throughout the week to provide advising and enrollment assistance. This allows employees to save time, avoid excess credits, and achieve their educational goals. Our staff is also well versed in our participating employers’ tuition assistance requirements and often uses these appointments to help students navigate that process as well. As the semester progresses, advisors continue to meet with employees to check in and encourage course completion.
Through this personalized and dedicated approach, we have seen an 88% successful course completion rate, significantly higher than both the industry average and the average within our community college system. The convenience of these services has also led to a higher rate of persistence and a larger percentage of employees utilizing the benefit each semester.
Onsite College Classes
For even greater convenience for employees, we may offer college courses onsite at the employer’s location. These courses often satisfy general education requirements that apply to most associate degrees; however, course options can be customized to support organizational goals and employee needs. Through our 10 colleges we have hundreds of academic programs to offer, starting with general education courses and ranging into certificates of completion in Organizational Leadership or Insurance Studies, for example.
“Working with Maricopa Corporate College exceeded our expectations and this program made a tangible difference to our staff.” – Diane Fox, , Corporate Director of Training for GroupeSTAHL
Customized Third-Party Billing
Imagine the strain that handling separate billing for hundreds of employees’ tuition, books, and fees could put on an organization’s finance department. We take the hassle out of billing, too, by combining all employees’ bills from our 10 colleges and their bookstores into one convenient, monthly bill for our employer partners. By offering this billing component, our clients have continued to scale their tuition programs without having to worry about the capacity of their finance departments.
Since our initial conversations with one employer more than five years ago, we have expanded this service to multiple employers and hundreds of employees per semester. With employers offering more than $20 billion in tuition assistance per year, we plan to continue to grow and evolve this product, allowing more Arizona employees to seamlessly and conveniently access the quality education provided by the Maricopa Community Colleges.
