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Back to school

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Leadership

SmartPulse — our weekly reader poll in Smartbrief on Workforce — tracks feedback from leading managers and HR practitioners. We run the poll question each Wednesday in our e-newsletter and feature analysis from Lance Haun, vice president of outreach for MeritBuilder, the main guy over at Rehaul.com and a member of the SmartBrief on Workforce Advisory Board on this blog.

Last week’s poll question: Many business professionals have used the stagnant economy to continue their education. What have you done, if anything, to improve your education?

  • I do not plan on doing any educational programs in the next six months, 51%
  • I have already started a degree or certificate program, 16%
  • I plan on or have already taken a course that isn’t related to a degree/certificate program, 13%
  • I have recently completed a degree or certificate program, 10%
  • I plan on starting a degree or certificate program in the next six months, 10%

“While a little over half of the readers aren’t planning on taking any classes, I was surprised to see that so many have already started or are in the process of starting an educational program. Even though college and continuing education enrollment skyrocket during a recession, it still only represents a small portion of the overall population. I have to wonder if company-funded educational benefits will start to increase as the economy improves.” — Lance Haun