The Penn Foster Blog

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered the way we live and work. The healthcare industry in particular has grappled with dramatic shifts in policy, procedure, and patient care over the last year and a half. While vaccine production and distribution has provided much needed relief and protection against the virus, allowing the country to return to something that feels more normal, many vital roles in healthcare will be dealing with the impact of the pandemic well into the future, including pharmacy workers. As we move forward, pharmacies in both retail and hospital settings are emerging as more crucial than ever.

As the economy slowly paces toward recovery, adding 943,000 jobs in July, employers in many industries are still grappling with an unprecedented worker shortage. With over 13.6 million job posts remaining open for a month or longer, companies across the country are attempting to attract new hires by offering incentives above and beyond the standard benefits packages. But coupled with the normal costs associated with recruitment and hiring, using quick strategies to attract talented employees to your company can have a negative impact on your bottom line. Instead, investment strategies like upskilling and training existing workers to fill different roles can provide a viable and cost-effective way to increase productivity, employee retention, and eventually serve as a method to attract new hires to your company. Here’s how.

At the time of his swearing in, President Biden promised to pursue ambitious efforts to revamp the infrastructure of the country and, with it, the workforce through the American Jobs Plan. In order to accomplish his goals of fixing and further developing highways and roads, bridges, the power grid, and internet services, America will need a strong, skilled workforce that’s prepared to hit the ground running. The purpose is to improve communities throughout the U.S. with modernization, as well as stimulating the economy through job creation and revitalizing manufacturing, and Penn Foster is poised to help make it happen.

Because of historically high staffing shortages, established businesses are being forced to limit their hours of operation, or shutter their doors altogether. Those that are attempting to weather the unprecedented worker shortages and attract employees to their businesses are doing everything from offering gift cards to those applicants who show up for interviews, to sign-on bonuses for new hires. But as hiring becomes more competitive for business owners, restaurants need to offer more opportunities for growth to stand out. One effective way to do that? Make education and upskilling benefits an essential component of employee perks.

The construction industry was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, losing 1.1 million jobs in March and April 2020 alone. But as the world continues to reopen in varying degrees, the industry has experienced much-needed recovery, regaining 888,000 of the jobs lost. With construction season in full swing combined with a housing market boom, the need for new residential and commercial construction and renovation is only expected to grow and construction companies will need more skilled workers than ever. In order to meet your project goals, it’s essential that you can attract the new talent you need and that your employees are prepared for the work ahead of them. That's where a comprehensive training program can help.

Veterinary clinics are seeing more patients, from wellness visits to emergent cases, making trained veterinary technicians more vital to a successful practice than ever especially as the number of pet owners is increasing. Pet adoptions grew 70% during the pandemic and an ASPCA survey conducted in May 2021 found that 90% of pets adopted during the last year have stayed with their owners. Handling an influx of new pet owners, plus providing excellent service to current clients, can be overwhelming for a veterinary healthcare team that has already weathered a number of changes throughout the last year and a half. Ensuring your staff is prepared to meet demand and utilize their skills to their fullest capabilities is important to maintaining efficiency and practice success. One way to do that? Provide in-depth, AVMA-accredited online training.

Northwest Career College’s (NCC) mission is to inspire the next generation of professionals through dedication to service, commitment to mentorship, and innovation in education. In just the last year, they’ve seen a massive increase in enrollment, graduation, and matriculation rates in their partner program with Penn Foster. We recently spoke with Nicole Pangelinan, designated Special Populations Coordinator at NCC, to learn more about what it takes to help learners succeed. Her student-centered best practices can be credited with the new-found success of the program.

Yulanda Edgin, a Walmart associate, found our online Optician Career Diploma Program through our partnership with Guild Education. Wanting to further her career in the optical field, Yulanda needed training. That’s when her manager encouraged her to enroll in our self-paced program. Yulanda graduated from the program this year and is now studying to become licensed. She’s also encouraging her coworkers to advance their career.

Ever since the world stopped last March, we’ve anxiously waited for an end to, or at least a respite, from the pandemic. We watched the medical field undergo massive changes, working harder than ever, with an increased need to fill many medical roles while simultaneously developing new and essential skills. However, now that the vaccine rollout is well under way, many of us are left to wonder what the future of healthcare will look like in a post-vaccine world.

One of the many ways the US felt an impact of COVID-19 has undoubtedly been a large jolt to, and spotlight on, the infrastructure of the nation’s healthcare industry. In a matter of months, prior assumptions and behaviors regarding how Americans work within the healthcare industry, and receive care as patients, came into question as we were forced to reimagine and reshape job productivity and patient care. Doctors across the nation are newly relying on telemedicine to allow them to see a greater number of patients remotely. The bandwidth and workflow within each individual medical facility across the nation has been uniquely pressured and challenged.