In the midst of a workforce shortage, employers need every advantage they can get in the recruiting process. Incentives are a common option, and the foundation related to Washington, DC-area life plan community operator Ingleside is offering one that has paid dividends for numerous employees.
“We have scholarship programs [across] all three [Ingleside] communities, and we’ve awarded 350 scholarships,” Westminster Ingleside Foundation President and CEO Doug Myers said. “Twenty-eight are for citizenship and total $851,000. The average award is a little over $2,400 over that time period.”
Myers says the program not only funds education for employees but also assists in retaining them through continuing professional development. At Ingleside, he said, it is common for staff members to start out in dining or housekeeping and end up on the healthcare team after completing their education.
“You have people who may start out in an entry-level position, and the only thing holding them back is the resources to advance their education,” Myers said. “The scholarship programs help people continue on with their education while working with us. There are many different levels in the healthcare certification journey, and we have people who keep growing and succeeding so it helps us retain stars, people who are very driven.”
In addition to academic scholarships, Ingleside offers programs to support employees seeking US citizenship. Programs include help preparing for the citizenship test and navigating the application process with the help of resident volunteers. Barbara Butungi, an employee at Ingleside King Farm, has used those resources to build a better life for herself as well as her home of Uganda, according to the firm.
“Barbara came to the country after she grew up in Uganda, and she came in first as a volunteer in our skilled nursing area,” Myers said. “[Then she] became a nursing assistant and then, because of the scholarship program, enrolled in school to become an LPN. The scholarship not only helped her get that LPN, but she is saving money to support a training program that she wants to establish back in her home country.”
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