Why Your Employer Should Contribute to Local Scholarships, or Start Your Own

Hotel industry folks help college students cross the stage in many ways, including with much-needed folks who are the catalysts to help them finish.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association publishes its own list of scholarships, and the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association has a more localized list. Hyatt also funds a scholarship program for minority students.

Money might end up in the hands of someone who feels a duty to give back and work for you in future years. More broadly, how your company was willing to give might give some favor in the eyes of the public, which is never a bad idea.

Many think funding scholarships that help defray the cost of college is a part of corporate social responsibility, per Smarter Select. In any case, you should consider how and where scholarships can benefit your company and what might be the best use of scholarships or any other tuition benefits that might be appropriate.

Make yourself more visible in the community

As many families in the United States highly regard education, plenty of people will appreciate the idea of setting aside money to aid others in their educational endeavors.

A scholarship is a really good way to endear yourself in the eyes of the public, and it doesn’t take an absurd amount of money to do so.

Feed & Grain says corporate social responsibility can be remarkably beneficial in enhancing the brand image of any business.

Shareholders and the general public see the value of coming across to consumers as a business that cares about using vast resources to help others in relative need, especially prospective students.

Hyatt and Hilton stand out among competitors for their commitment to CSR, which has helped over the years in the eyes of consumers, per EHL Hospitality.

Play the long game, which might attract talent

As mentioned earlier, there is a scenario where someone gets a scholarship, which helps them establish brand loyalty later.

Feed & Grain suggests that scholarship can be useful on the front end of recruitment, meaning the mere attraction of top talent.

People interested in applying for jobs may do so with the intent of finding money and time through their employer to continue their schooling under the right circumstances.

Scholarship America recognizes scholarships as one of the foremost ways companies can directly invest in their employees. Their experts suggested that leadership clarify their funding strategy. Some want to fund one large and visible scholarship, but others see fit to fund several smaller ones across the company.

Scholarships can help with employee retention

Disney and Publix are known for the extensive tuition benefits they offer employees, and the idea can be the same for your hotel business.

(Disney has scaled their program back, but many employees say they joined the company because of that benefit.)

A significant percentage of your workforce may be interested in further schooling, and if you can point them to a program to apply for, they may stick around longer if their employer is helping pay for their schooling.

This may be especially true for people who want to enter the management world, given that an MBA or some other degree might better help them compete for those jobs.

National Business Furniture claims that scholarships can help you identify the type of firebrand employees that any business would love to have. There may be no other way to conceptualize better an act that could help both employee and employer simultaneously.