Long-time Kansas City printer, Trabon Printing, is the newest member of an elite club — employers who recognize the value of investing in their future workforce by sponsoring Lifelong Learning Accounts, or LiLAs.

Andrea Bartel, human resources coordinator for Trabon Printing, explains, “We were already paying for some training, but now there’s a match and the employees contribute as well. We are hoping that a lot of our production workers will take advantage of this opportunity. In this economy, workers need to be more highly skilled and versatile in different areas.”

“The nice thing about a LiLA is that it’s not limited to job-related training. Participants can take classes or seminars in any area where they want to learn more.”
 
Bartel plans to take Spanish classes with her LiLA savings, as bilingual skills have become increasingly valuable in her field. Other Trabon employees intend to use their LiLAs to pay for classes such as supervisory skills training and college credit courses in accounting.

Lifelong Learning Accounts are employee-owned education savings accounts that help pay for education and training expenses. LiLAs are like a 401(k) in that employees make regular contributions that are matched by their employer. In some cases, scholarship monies are available that match employee contributions. LiLAs were designed to make education and training opportunities more accessible to working adults, while removing the financial barriers that often prevent employees from returning to school.

Trabon is a locally owned printing and Web development company with 150 employees. Under current guidelines, its employees can contribute/save up to $500/year, which is matched dollar for dollar by the employer. This provides a $1,000 education and training fund which the employee can access throughout the year. During the inaugural period for the LiLA program, a limited fund allows for third-party matches bringing the total to $1,500/year.

My LiLA Now is part of a national effort to promote lifelong learning and to raise the skill and education levels of the current workforce. The Kansas City-area pilot project includes approximately two years of savings, match, and education activities. My LiLA Now is one of several initiatives offered through OneKC WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development), which includes resources from both the private and public sector, including grants from the U.S. Department of Labor, the Missouri Division of Workforce Development and the Kansas Department of Commerce.

My LiLA Now is based on the partnership between the employer and employee, with a dollar-for-dollar match between the two. However, through funds provided by the OneKC WIRED initiative, more than 100 scholarships are being made available to participants as a third-party match.