Pacific Dental Services offers free college tuition to thousands of its staff

Pacific Dental Services is offering its employees a span to higher education.

The Irvine-based institution has launched an online College Advancement Program that provides eligible employees with 100% paid assemblage tuition toward an undergraduate grade of their choice.

The company, which provides hundreds of dentists nationwide with bureau support, contracted with workforce acquisition supplier InStride to make the program. The program created done InStride’s concern with Arizona State University.

Bachelor’s grade programs are disposable successful much than 130 areas, including information science, biochemistry, electrical engineering, governmental science, science and municipality planning, among others.

The tuition wealth is paid up-front and disposable to Pacific Dental operations managers, benefits coordinators and dental assistants who enactment afloat clip and person been with the institution for astatine slightest 30 days. It allows them to gain their acquisition debt-free portion remaining employed.

The institution volition besides screen publication expenses and immoderate different mandatory fees that harvest up for the duration of the grade program. Classes for the archetypal semester statesman Jan. 10.

A recruiting tool

The programme is an evident boon for employees looking to beforehand their careers, but it besides benefits Pacific Dental, according to institution laminitis and CEO Stephen E. Thorne IV.

“It’s a large attraction arsenic a recruiting instrumentality for aboriginal employees,” Thorne said. “There are galore precocious schoolhouse graduates who either didn’t spell to assemblage oregon possibly didn’t decorativeness college. This gives them a accidental to get that degree.”

More than 3,000 employees person inquired astir the tuition programme and 17 person started the exertion process. (Photo courtesy of Pacific Dental Services)

Trish Elliott, vice president of the company’s quality resources department, said the programme volition outgo Pacific Dental $5,000 to $10,000 per worker tuition, depending connected which grade programme they choose.

“We’ve had 3,300 employees inquire astir the programme connected the website, and 17 person started the exertion process,” she said. “It’s a beauteous large life-changing decision, truthful we expect it volition instrumentality radical immoderate clip to deliberation astir it.”

Pacific Dental employs astir 14,000 radical who supply enactment services to 850 dental practices passim the U.S., including 245 successful Southern California. The services see IT support, arsenic good arsenic existent estate, accounting, legal, selling and recruiting services, among others.

Some employees enactment on-site astatine the assorted dental offices, portion others supply online assistance done enactment centers based successful Irvine, Henderson, Nevada, and Irving, Texas.

‘They’re stoked’

Kyle Poulsen, proprietor of Menifee Lakes Dental Group successful Menifee, said his Pacific Dental-contracted workers are excited astir the tuition opportunity.

“They’re stoked,” helium said. “This is thing a backstage dental bureau could ne'er spend to do. This volition motivate employees to determination connected with their education. I attraction astir my radical advancing successful life, adjacent if they conscionable enactment for america a fewer years and determination on.”

Vivek Sharma, InStride’s laminitis and CEO, said he’s excited to beryllium involved.

“Stephen Thorne and his enactment squad person recognized that providing fully-funded strategical acquisition opportunities results successful some concern and societal impacts for their institution and the communities they serve,” Sharma said successful a statement.

Pacific Dental besides helps employees beforehand their acquisition done a accepted tuition reimbursement programme that provides up to $5,250 a year. More than 1,000 escaped continuing acquisition courses are additionally offered done PDS University, arsenic good arsenic a nonrecreational improvement programme focused connected specialized grooming and certificates.

Poulsen said Pacific Dental’s services person streamlined his practice.

“I person 18 employees and it’s bully not having to interest astir each of the different worldly similar labour laws, codification compliance, accounting and HR,” helium said. “I’m a spot of a procrastinator and dealing with the concern broadside of things tin beryllium the astir stressful part.”