Dive Brief:
- To address the staffing needs created by ever-growing enrollment, Polk County School District in Florida has had to get creative, The Ledger reports. Increasing enrollment, combined with high turnover among new teachers, means the district must hire about 40 teachers each year.
- Education hasn't been exempt from the skills gap, and to remain competitive, Polk offers the highest compensation in the area, plus free health clinic access for teachers and their covered dependents.
- It also offers state certification exam reimbursement, as well as recruitment and retention bonuses for those in 15 of the district’s lowest performing schools.
Dive Insight:
The skills gap continues to put pressure on employers, including those in education, bringing about a spate of creative solutions. In California, for example, educators are testing public service announcements, trying to appeal to those who want their work to make a difference.
Others are trying to widen their applicant pool further than their geographic area, but in education, where teachers generally must be local, schools have to compete with neighboring districts. The wage wars employers may be accustomed to watching in the tech space have certainly begun their spread in other industries, including retail.
Still others, like Polk, have turned to better benefits to attract employees, including the aforementioned onsite clinics. The clinics can offer immediate healthcare to employees and their families, improving engagement and boosting retention, as that type of benefit tends to rate highly when done well. Employees want to work where they feel valued, and a strong benefits program can communicate just that.