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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nov. 11, 2005 Catalyst Learning, Founder of School at Work ® Program Nationwide Covering 155 Hospitals, Has Released its 2005 Return-On-Investment Study Results School at Work Supports Retention Efforts and Encourages Career Advancement ( Louisville , KY )— Catalyst Learning's School At Work (SAW) ® program for entry level workers indicated a 125% to 235% return on investment, based upon improved retention and increase number of internal promotions. “In the hospitals served, the numbers reflect the benefit of valuing employees at all levels, and educating them as to their career choices for advancement,” said Catalyst Learning CEO Lynn Fischer. “Turnover among SAW students was up to 22.09% lower than the category average. Lower turnover equals cost savings that benefit our customers,” she added. The innovative program combines mentoring, coaching, and small group classroom learning over a period of eight months for entry level workers. This is the second year of the School at Work ROI study that evaluates two key areas of impact: employee retention and internal promotions. The 2005 study focused on a group of long-term customers, showing how SAW student turnover compared to the hospital's category average. Also measured was the employer cost of job advancement through SAW versus outside recruitment. SAW focuses on encouraging students to move into higher-level allied health professions. "HR professionals often make people-based decisions because we know they are "the right thing to do", said Bob Buer, Vice President of Human Resources at St. Louis Children's Hospital. The hospital had 10 internal promotions from SAW student requests, into such positions as PCA, registration clerk, and human resources representative “Sometimes we fall down on providing the numbers-based evidence to support our decisions and discuss them with other executives.” said Buer. “The RoI analysis of our School at Work results has proven what we felt all along - that investing in our entry-level employees and increasing internal promotions is also saving us money,” he pointed out. While it is widely understood in the healthcare industry that the national nursing shortage impacts patient care, other employees are also critical to facility operations, Fischer pointed out. For example, the 2004 ROI study indicated that the average cost of turnover costs are $4,880 for a support employee, $6,007 for a clerical employee and $13,840 for a non-nursing clinical employee. “Employees want to work where employees invest in them. This is more than a nice thing to do for loyal employees – it is a business decision with significant quantifiable benefits,” Fischer stated. The study data showed an overall savings with SAW in place, avoiding funds for turnover and enhancing internal promotions to avoid outside recruitment costs. “With this 2005 study, SAW is measuring the right kinds of things for meaningful workforce development. It is a peek on the inside that shows SAW is a resource that can have tremendous value,” said Dr Thomas F. Mahan, CEO of the Work Institute, a human capital research firm. www.workinstitute.com Facilities at 7 major healthcare networks were evaluated in the 2005 study for programs that were conducted in 2003 and 2004. The SAW “Building a Career Ladder in Healthcare” program is for hospitals that want to nurture and advance entry-level employees into higher-level positions. The SAW career ladder system uses the Internet, computer labs, DVD technology, and staff coaching to deliver instruction. Employees review the basic skills, improve their computer proficiency and study medical terminology, medical ethics, anatomy and physiology. Students also develop an individual career and learning plan, usually with the help of a hospital recruiter. Development funding for the SAW healthcare program was initially provided by the U.S. Department of Labor as part of the President's High Growth Jobs Initiative. Fore more information, go to www.schoolatwork.com . For a full copy of the study, email lfischer@catalystlearning.com.
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