Tuition-Aid Revisited: Tapping the Untapped Resource. Worker Education and Training Policies Project.

This monograph presents a summary and analysis of case study reports on three highly used tuition assistance programs. The programs are those of the Education Fund of District Council 37 of AFSCME; Polaroid Corporation's Tuition Assistance Plan; and the Education Opportunities Plan of Kimberly-Clark Corporation. The case studies describe the historical background and design of the programs, how they function and are accessed, how well they meet the purposes of users and sponsors, and what factors seem to account for worker use rates well above the national norms of 4-5 percent of those eligible. Discussed are the main features of these three highly diverse tuition assistance programs; the elements common to all three programs and their operating environments, as well as salient differences; requirements for and limits to the broader implementation of the promising practices and support arrangements contained in these programs; and an informed assessment of what the experience of these programs tell about the role tuition aid can play in meeting education and training needs of workers and employers. (KC)