Not all company investments in education are working

At the Exceptional Women Alliance (EWA), we enable high-level women to mentor each other. As the nonprofit organization’s founder, chair, and CEO, I am honored to interview and share insights from some of the thought leaders who are part of our peer-to-peer mentoring. In this conversation, I speak with Michelle Westfort, chief product officer at In Stride, a leading provider of strategic education and skilling solutions. Q: Before we dive in, tell us about your role at In Stride and what kinds of companies you work with. Westfort: I lead product for our organization, which means I spend my days thinking about whether employee education programs and workforce development strategies are working. InStride partners with large employers across industries to offer debt-free education to their workforce. Medtronic, for example, has more than 3,000 employees enrolled in or graduated from its education program, which has generated over $13 million in retention savings. Q: On the surface, a lot of corporate education programs look similar. Why do results vary? Westfort: The difference in outcomes comes down to program design. In other words, how well the program connects employee growth to business needs is almost entirely a design question. Here’s what I mean. SSM Health saw 100% retention in some of its most critical clinical roles among employees participating in its education program. That doesn’t happen by accident. On the flip side, we see programs where employees need HR approval just to enroll, where clawback provisions deter the people who need the benefit most. Mind you, from our data, 62% of top-performing programs require no HR approval at all. That becomes a design recommendation. Q: Why do so many people plan to use tuition assistance, and then just don’t? Westfort: Think about what working adults are carrying. A full-time job, a commute, kids, aging parents, and schedules that shift week to week. If getting started feels complicated—options are confusing, o