THE BENEFITS : Three current spa employees arrived through this program , and two more are starting school in August . The spa expects to lean more heavily on this program in the years to come , too . It has also deepened the spa ’ s existing relationship with Lackawanna College — The Lodge at Woodloch been the location of the school ’ s hands-on training for several years , and a handful of Deaton ’ s staff serve as guest instructors at the school . THE TAKEAWAYS : “ I think a must-do is to have a really close relationship with the massage therapy program ,” says Deaton . “ It benefits you in a couple of ways . You start forming a closer connection with the employees you have in the program , but also with the rest of the students who aren ’ t employees .” This familiarity has led to many graduates naturally seeking positions at the spa — without The Lodge at Woodloch having to resort to funding their education .
Sea Island Resort
Location : Sea Island , Georgia Type : Resort Spa
WHAT THEY OFFER : Broadly applicable annual funding for education . WHAT MAKES IT UNIQUE : A tiered structure that allocates more annual education funding the longer you ’ ve been with Sea Island Resort . THE FULL STORY : Once an employee has been with Sea
Island for six months they are eligible for up to $ 1,000 annually of financial support for education . In the third year , that number increases to $ 2,500 ; in the sixth , $ 4,000 . After ten years or more at Sea Island , employees can receive $ 5,000 annually . The courses or certifications have to be approved by the employee ’ s manager , such as Director of Spa & Wellness Cecilia Hercik . This empowers the managers — who know the employees best — to decide how to help the employees pursue their dreams . The spa has also worked on a case-by-case basis to assist incoming employees with the costs of recertification when , for example , a new employee arrives from another state . “ Sometimes we hire them until they are able to finalize their paperwork and then we can transfer them to the provider position that they were hoping for ,” says Hercik . THE BENEFITS : Sea Island Resort ’ s tenure-based approach to education funding accomplishes two things . First , it incentivizes employees to stick around longer . Second , it provides more funding to those who are likely to need it more — an older , veteran service provider could likely use more training on the latest modalities than a relatively recent entrant to the industry . THE TAKEAWAYS : If your spa operates as part of a larger resort , club , hotel or property , talk to your HR department about setting up a tuition reimbursement program . “ Many people think the funds come from your operations budget , and a program like this can be very costly at a spa like ours ,” says Hercik . “ However , the human resources teams can put it in their budget and support not only the spa , but also the entire property .”
Fusions Spa and Wellness
Location : Sylva , North Carolina Type : Single-location Day Spa
WHAT THEY OFFER : Individualized support for continuing education . WHAT MAKES IT UNIQUE : Local conditions mean Fusions doesn ’ t need to provide reimbursement for massage therapy programs . THE FULL STORY : Every market is unique . Some spas might need to offer tuition reimbursement , while others may not . Fusions Spa and Wellness falls into the latter category . Though it has offered reimbursement for massage therapy in the past , it simply doesn ’ t have to do so at present . “ For the most part ,” says Lead Massage Therapist Jessica McCauley , “ people are getting their schooling almost entirely covered right now through Pell Grants .” Instead , the spa is pouring its resources into continuing education by bringing in small-class CE trainings to the spa and
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30 PULSE ■ SEPTEMBER 2021