Employers Urged to Use Tuition for Reskilling

Diane Bartoli, senior vice president at EdAssist by Bright Horizons, says tuition assistance is shifting from a buried perk to a strategic lever for workforce transformation as AI reshapes jobs, urging employers to scale reskilling and close growing skill gaps. Bartoli cites data showing 58% of workers want to learn new skills but don’t know where to start and only 17% have discussed education benefits with managers, arguing short-form credentials, certifications and career coaching are now business imperatives. Employers that invest in tuition and credential programs can rapidly upskill frontline and corporate teams to work alongside AI and retain talent. Separately, Scholarship Institute and CollegeTuitionCompare data show average 2025 tuition for private colleges is nearly $30,000 while public college tuition ranges from about $9,000–$20,000 depending on in-state or out-of-state status, not including typical additional living and education costs of $15,000–$20,000. Costs vary dramatically by state—Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Rhode Island and Massachusetts rank among the most expensive for public institutions and also host many costly private schools—reflecting differing state funding models. Taken together, rising higher-education costs and the urgent need for rapid workforce reskilling strengthen the case for employers and policymakers to expand tuition-assistance and short-form credential pathways to improve access and competitiveness.