Anthem offering free college tuition to employees

Thousands of Anthem employees in Ohio now have access to free college degrees through an expanded partnership with a higher education entity.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield already offers $5,000 in annual tuition reimbursement to eligible workers, but recently announced an extended relationship with College for America, a fully accredited, non-profit online institution established by Southern New Hampshire University.

The college offers self-paced, associate and bachelor’s degrees in areas of business, communications and health care management at a cost of $2,500 per year.

Kim Ashley, spokeswoman for Anthem, said the free college tuition is available to any Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield full-time or part-time employee who works 20 or more hours per week and has been employed at least six months.

Ashley said there are 3,700 eligible associates in Ohio — with over 1,700 in southwest Ohio. The company’s Ohio headquarters are in Deerfield Twp.

“Anthem is committed to offering its associates a robust benefits package that goes beyond salary and health benefits,” said Erin Hoeflinger, president of Anthem in Ohio.

Ashley said in the first week of announcing the partnership with College for America, over 900 Anthem employees have applied to the college and 4,000 have registered for information sessions.

“We want to help our associates grow within the organization, and this program helps with educational development,” Ashley said. “It’s a benefit to us; we can promote within and assist associates in being able to fill broader roles.”

Linnae Selinga, spokeswoman for the College for America, said Anthem Inc. was one of the first companies to “jump in” to be an original pilot participant when the college launched its first associate degree in 2013.

“We target working adults who wouldn’t have the opportunity to go to college without the employer,” Selinga said. “For the employer it’s a talent management and development tool.”

College for America offers associate degrees in business and non-clinical health care and bachelor’s degrees in communications and health care management.

“The skills gap is there and it’s real,” Selinga said, adding it’s more cost effective for companies to develop their own talent pool rather than hire from outside. “The biggest thing we hear is the immediate competence the employees start to exude. They get additional responsibilities and promotions at work.”

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