Seven in ten business leaders report a critical skills gap, and 39% of core business skills are expected to change by 2030. EdAssist’s Education Index also found that 42% of employees expect AI to significantly change their role within the year.
Together, these findings point to a structural problem: the skills organizations need are changing faster than external hiring can address.
For HR and benefits leaders, closing skills gaps can no longer start and end with recruiting. Organizations need a strategy for developing talent from within, and education benefits can play a critical role.
Our new guide, Closing the Skills Gap by Building Workforce Readiness from Within, explores how employers can move beyond traditional tuition assistance and create education benefits programs that support critical skills, internal mobility, and long-term talent needs.
Download the free guide to learn how education benefits can help build the workforce you need from the one you have.
What is workforce readiness?
Workforce readiness is an organization’s ability to develop the skills employees need to meet current and future business demands before talent gaps become critical.
A workforce readiness strategy connects employee learning to business priorities, internal career opportunities, and roles that are becoming more difficult to fill.
Education benefits can support this strategy by giving employees accessible ways to build relevant skills while helping employers create stronger internal talent pipelines.
Why external hiring cannot solve the skills gap
Recruiting remains important, but it cannot fully address a structural shortage of critical skills, especially for those hard-to-fill roles. When qualified candidates are limited, organizations compete for the same external talent while facing higher hiring costs and longer time-to-fill.
Developing current employees gives employers another path. By investing in employees with the potential to grow, organizations can expand their available talent pool, strengthen retention, and prepare people for roles the business will need next.
Education benefits make this approach sustainable by funding relevant education and helping employees connect skill development with internal mobility opportunities.
How do education benefits support workforce readiness?
Education benefits help organizations build needed skills internally by funding employee development, reducing barriers to learning, and connecting education with priority workforce needs.
Employees may have access to learning but lack clarity about which programs to pursue, how those programs connect to career growth, or which skills are most needed.
When education benefits are intentionally aligned with workforce readiness, they can help organizations:
- Build internal pipelines for critical and hard-to-fill roles
- Prepare employees for changing skill requirements
- Improve access to career development
- Strengthen retention and internal mobility
- Reduce reliance on constrained external labor markets
The business impact of workforce readiness education benefits
Many employers invest in education benefits without achieving the desired results because programs are not always designed around critical skills gaps or workforce priorities.
EdAssist’s 2025 benchmarking data shows what many high-performing education benefits programs have in common:
- 86% support degree and non-degree learning options, helping employees develop skills through pathways that can adapt to changing business needs.
- 60% offer prepayment options, reducing financial barriers that can prevent employees from participating.
- Nearly half add targeted skills development programs to broader education benefits, helping build talent pipelines for critical and hard-to-fill roles.
- The average EdAssist employer spends 67% less per participant on non-degree programs, providing a cost-effective way to address emerging skill needs.
The organizations outpacing their competition for talent are treating education benefits as a workforce strategy, rather than relying solely on finding better candidates externally.
See how a workforce-focused education benefits strategy can help address critical skills and talent needs. Download the guide.
What makes an education benefits program workforce-ready?
However, offering tuition reimbursement alone does not guarantee business impact.
A workforce-ready education benefits program does more than process tuition requests. It connects education investments with the skills, roles, and talent priorities that matter most to the organization.
Building that type of program requires employers to consider program design, employee support, skills pathways, and measurement. Download the guide to learn what separates a traditional tuition program from a workforce readiness strategy.
Is your current program built for workforce readiness?
Not all education benefits programs are designed to produce the same results.
Some programs focus primarily on processing reimbursements, while workforce-focused programs connect education investments with retention, skills development, internal mobility, and critical role coverage.
If participation is low, employees cannot see how learning connects to career growth, or reporting stops at enrollment and completion, the program may not be delivering its full workforce value.
The guide includes the questions HR and benefits leaders can use to evaluate their current approach and compare potential providers.
Explore the Workforce Readiness guide to assess whether your current program is built for workforce outcomes.
Turn education benefits into a workforce readiness strategy with EdAssist
Education benefits can do more than support individual learning. When aligned with workforce priorities, they can help employers build critical skills, strengthen internal talent pipelines, and prepare employees for changing roles.
EdAssist by Bright Horizons helps organizations move beyond tuition administration by connecting education benefits with business and talent priorities. Through tailored program design, degree and non-degree learning options, employee guidance, and pathways aligned with in-demand roles, EdAssist helps employers develop the talent they need from within.
The guide, Closing the Skills Gap by Building Workforce Readiness from Within, provides a practical framework for evaluating your current program and identifying opportunities to strengthen its workforce impact.
Download the guide to learn how to turn education benefits into a workforce readiness strategy with EdAssist.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is workforce readiness in HR?
Workforce readiness is an organization’s ability to develop the skills employees need to meet current and future business demands. It includes accessible learning opportunities, clear development pathways, and support that connects employee education with workforce priorities.
How do education benefits help close skills gaps?
Education benefits help close skills gaps by funding relevant employee development, reducing barriers to participation, and supporting pathways into roles the organization needs to fill. Their impact is strongest when learning options align with defined business and talent priorities.
What should employers look for in an education benefits program?
Employers should look for a program that connects learning with priority skills, removes barriers to participation, supports employee decision-making, and measures workforce outcomes. The guide, Closing the Skills Gap by Building Workforce Readiness from Within, provides a more complete framework for evaluating an existing program or potential provider.
How does EdAssist support workforce readiness?
EdAssist helps employers align education benefits with workforce priorities through tailored program design, flexible learning options, employee guidance, and pathways connected to in-demand roles. This helps organizations use education benefits to support skills development, internal mobility, and long-term talent needs.
