At a time when artificial intelligence (AI) advancements are upending entire industries, education ambitions across the workforce are unsurprisingly at an all-time high. Rapid-fire innovation and technological changes are resulting in workers having heightened concerns around job security pushing them toward ways to create a solid future and career — with many seeing skills development as the key to financial stability and career mobility.

According to Bright Horizons’ recent Education Index report, 77% of working adults are interested in developing new skills or pursing additional education, and 55% are feeling pressured to stay competitive in their industry. Yet most respondents (91%) say there are barriers to pursuing additional education. In an era of skyrocketing education costs and associated debt, it should be no surprise that money tops the list of roadblocks, with 56% of employees citing cost/tuition as the biggest obstacle to pursuing additional education. In a period of record burnout, a shortage of time is close behind, with 47% of employees citing existing work obligations, and 42% citing the amount of time it takes to complete an education program as barriers.

If we were to look solely at working parents, time would rise to the top as the fundamental barrier that prevents them from pursuing additional training to reach their full career and earnings potential. After all, working full time while also raising children typically means being in “work mode” for upwards of 14 hours a day. Therefore, it’s not surprising that 41% of mothers and 20% of fathers report that being a working parent has made career advancement harder.

For working mothers in particular, having that added barrier is especially troubling as research confirms that in order to earn a comparable salary, women need more education credentials than their male counterparts. This means that companies need to offer a higher level of nuanced support to successfully help working parents reach their (ultimately mutually beneficial) upskilling and reskilling goals.

For companies that are looking to make education opportunities more accessible and achievable for working parents, there are actionable steps you can take to ensure their success:

1. Offer brief, non-degree options to reduce time constraints: Allow employees to choose from a myriad of upskilling or reskilling programs beyond just higher education degrees. Self-paced offerings such as certificates, bootcamps and professional certifications — that require a smaller time commitment yet are still affective in helping employees learn new skills — are vital for helping more employees with time constraints work toward their career goals.
2. Provide tailored support through coaching: As caregivers are often spread very thin, even the idea of finding the right program can be daunting. Therefore, it’s important to offer access to coaches who can help employees both find the right learning opportunity and ensure it fits their individual lifestyle. Additionally, coaches can provide valuable insight into how the employees’ investment in education can help advance their professional pursuits.
3. Remove financial road blocks: While education cost is the top concern for employees, it is likely exacerbated for working parents. After all, the average annual cost of raising a child is upwards of $21,000. Employees can remove this barrier by offering access to lower-cost education programs and paying the schools directly, essentially providing the employees with a free degree. With no money needing to be paid upfront, this would make the offering much more accessible to all employes, including working parents. While learning leaders may not have control over these policies, reiterating their ability to make learning more accessible is important in conversation with stakeholders.
4. Consider a corresponding student loan program: Support for student loans is also worth considering, as outstanding debt is another barrier that prevents many from going back to school. For working parents in particular, some may even be prioritizing saving for their children’s 529 plans overpaying off their existing debt. Offering a program to help support student loan repayments would go a long way to help this group feel supported — and give them another great reason to stay loyal to your company.
5. Offer access to reliable, high-quality child care: One additional benefit that will have a direct impact on working parents’ ability to opt-in to an education program is child care. If an employee has children and is already balancing work and family, offering child care benefits would help remove a major barrier to completing an education program, giving them the peace of mind that they can focus on the skills and content at hand without worrying about what their child is doing in the next room. This ultimately benefits the employer, because you have a more productivity employee when at work. Again, even if learning leaders may not have control over these policies, they can help to reiterate their importance to the business in meeting its upskilling goals.

The last several years have been filled with uncertainty, due to large, lasting stressors like the COVID-19 pandemic and the child care cliff. As a result, working parents have been affected more than others. This has led them to seek as much stability, both personally and professionally. The best way for employers to support this journey is to provide a wide array of education opportunities that will help them develop the critical skills needed to stay competitive, advance their careers and ultimately obtain a high-demand role that lends an added level of job security.