The Penn Foster Blog

For over 125 years, Penn Foster has taught working learners and partnered with skilled trades organizations to help tens of thousands of students gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to succeed on their career paths. Part of this Penn Foster mission is to provide comprehensive courses, applicable technology, and a wide array of flexible services aimed at the needs of the working learner- which anymore, should include an emphasis on interactivity.

With all the buzz over telemedicine and instant healthcare, you might think that millenials are looking for convenience above all else. It’s a reasonable assumption. It’s also not true. When making healthcare decisions, millenials want a provider who really cares about them. In short, millennials are looking for good customer service from healthcare providers. To meet the needs of this generation, you must train support staff to make customer service their focus.

Contrary to expectations, veterinary medicine has been one of the few industries to thrive - and even grow - amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. While many companies, large and small, have been forced to furlough employees or cut hiring budgets, veterinary practices have had to add new team members to handle the influx of new patients. In addition to the number of new pet owners, the veterinary industry has also seen a boom as pet parents are home more often to keep a diligent eye on the strange behaviors of their animals. With the influx of clients - from new pet owners to those who want to ensure their companion stays as healthy as possible - well trained and skilled veterinary staff is a must to ensure your practice’s success.

The healthcare industry has been one of the hardest hit since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. While thought to be recession proof, 1.4 million healthcare jobs were lost in April, following up the 43,000 that were originally displaced in March. But, as states slowly reopen and new safety protocols are put into place, healthcare jobs are making a revival - but not in the ways they existed before. Physicians and nurses aren’t the most in-demand roles that need to be filled; rather support positions are where the opportunities lie for workers and employers alike.

The emergence of COVID-19 has heavily impacted the healthcare industry. From worker shortages to mass layoffs, healthcare is in flux. COVID-19 is being compared to Ebola, SARS, and the plague. Even at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States was experiencing a shortage of healthcare workers. In the midst of the pandemic, hospitals and other healthcare facilities, especially those in the hardest hit cities and areas, were facing such a dire need for healthcare workers that unprecedented measures and drastic actions were taken, from fast-tracking licensing of physicians to calling in retired healthcare professionals to make up the deficit.

In less than five years, millennial workers are primed to make up 75% of the American workforce. 94% of those millennials want to use their skills to benefit a cause, and 57% wish there were more company-wide service days. With a majority of the workforce focused on social change and community responsibility, brands that want to thrive today and in the future need to view corporate responsibility strategy and company culture as essential parts of their job-marketing process. These are vital to enticing a younger generation that wants to do work that does social good. Not only can a focus on doing good attract potential hires, but it can also help your company retain current employees and build a strong brand reputation that pulls in new clients.

Middle-skilled workers are among the 44 million Americans who struggle to find work, and as the world has settled into a new world of work amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, that challenge is becoming more difficult. Additionally, hiring practices rooted in a degree-first approach may be exacerbating the disparity between open positions and those qualified to fill them. As the United States unemployment rate hits 11.1% - that’s 17.75 million Americans out of work - employers in some of the hardest hit industries can’t afford to quibble over degrees and inflated credentials when it comes to hiring. In order to stem the tide of a devastating skills gap and attempt to address a growing recession, employers need to change how they define qualified applicants.

Today’s dynamic workplace demands more diverse skills than ever before. Amidst the historic pandemic and shift in the economy, new jobs are being created and lesser-known roles, like contact tracing, are growing. And while a degree may prove a generalized understanding of a particular subject area, it doesn’t guarantee that the worker has the skills needed by your specific business today. This is why even though 44 percent of employers have increased the level of education required for job roles over the last five years, 62% of HR leaders are exploring or have already implemented a formal effort to deemphasize degrees and prioritize skills competencies.

First-time pet ownership can be both exciting and daunting, not only for the owner, but also for the animal. Over the past few months pet ownership has grown, including increased pet adoption, and your practice’s new clients will understandably desire quality care for their animals and compete for your attention. With this in mind, as appointments from new owners increase, what are you doing to meet both their needs and the needs of their new furry friends?

Until recently, most Americans valued higher education above any other preparation for the workforce. Parents advised their children to go to college so they could get a good job. Employers identified top candidates based on who had a college degree. The implication was that a college education represented the highest standard for employee training. Today, those attitudes are shifting. Both employers and employees are beginning to recognize that workers need more than academic knowledge to succeed on the job.