Aerial view of Champlain College's campus in the fall.

truED Alliance Spotlight: Roxanne from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont

Roxanne C. works at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT). She manages BCBSVT’s partnership with Champlain’s truED© Alliance Program, which offers preferred pricing for industry-driven academic programs to employees of BCBSVT, their spouses, domestic partners, and eligible adult dependents.

What was your organization's motivation for participating in the truED program?

BCBSVT is a strong advocate of its employees going back to school to gain additional expertise to be successful in their careers. In fact, we offer eligible employees tuition reimbursement to help cover and manage education expenses at accredited colleges and universities. We have relationships with some other institutions, but we found Champlain’s truED offerings to be especially helpful in opening up learning opportunities for our employees. The fact that BCBSVT employees, their spouses/domestic partners, and their eligible adult children get discounts Champlain’s online programs was an exciting option for our company.

What made you choose Champlain as an education partner?

Part of our decision to move forward with Champlain College Online was that Champlain College is based in Vermont. BCBSVT is proud to be part of the Vermont community and we do our best to partner with local businesses and institutions as much as possible. We’re very rooted in our local community. Being a Vermont company is an integral part of our brand and who we are, so having the opportunity to offer educational resources with a local Vermont college, especially one with such a strong reputation, is a win-win for us!

How did you hear about Champlain's truED program?

Champlain’s truED team presented the truED Alliance to us and during this presentation, we were sold on the fact that not only do employees of BCBSVT qualify for preferred pricing – but eligible members of their families do, too. This inclusive offering really benefits our own employees and their eligible loved ones. Our employees appreciate the added benefit of being able to get discounts on tuition for their spouses and dependent adult children.

Tell us how your workforce has benefited from your truED education offerings.

Our relationship with Champlain’s truED Alliance has made our employees feel like they have more opportunities to learn, grow, and advance their careers. At BCBSVT, learning is a large part of our culture. Being able to introduce our employees to a Vermont college that has impressive career-minded types of programs is applicable and relevant to who we are.

What, in your opinion, makes truED at Champlain unique?

Many entry-level employees contact me about learning opportunities at BCBSVT, and Champlain’s truED Alliance is one of the first programs I typically bring up to them. I believe Champlain College Online offers programs that give adult learners a strong offering of different options that are realistic to professionals in the workforce. These programs aren’t general studies. They are designed to help career-minded people get promoted, gain a competency, or gain a specific set of skills that is directly marketable to the workforce at large. Champlain’s degree programs help prepare professionals for their career goals and meet them where they are. From certificates to associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees to graduate options, our employees are extremely interested in Champlain’s programs and greatly benefit from the preferred pricing the truED partnership makes possible for BCBSVT.

What advice would you give to someone considering bringing truED to their organization?

I believe Champlain’s truED Alliance is a great program and organizations should consider offering it to their employees if they have the means to do so. In this day and age, adult learners are looking for “need-to-know” options. Champlain College Online’s programs play into that. If your organization has employees looking for competency-based learning that ties into a specialized area of study that directly relates to the current workforce, then you should consider adding this as a partnership.

 

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is Vermont's only local, not-for-profit health plan. For more than 70 years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont has been enhancing the health and well-being of the Vermonters by offering innovative plans to individuals, seniors and businesses. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is dedicated to developing new ways to support high quality care and programs and events that promote wellness. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information, visit www.bcbsvt.com.

 

About truED

Are you curious about Champlain’s truED program? Our online college degrees are designed in partnership with workforce development professionals and talent and recruitment experts, with a laser focus on skills gaps, workforce trends, and market demand. truED offers affordable, career-focused learning that enables employees to flourish and organizations to grow. truED students can earn an accredited college degree from a nonprofit college committed to helping them achieve their career goals quickly. Expect more, pay less with truED and Champlain College Online. Learn more.

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