Tuition assistance program helps employees develop skills

A priority in Louisville Water’s 2019-2025 Strategic Business Plan is to be “a place where people desire to work and develop fulfilling
careers.”

Programs are available to help employees enhance their careers, including financial assistance for those interested in earning a degree at a local college or university.
Several employees have taken advantage of this tuition assistance program, including Meghan Starnes, who started as a cashier in Customer Service eight years ago and is now a Budget Specialist.

Pursuing an Associate of Science–Accounting degree at Indiana Wesleyan University, she joined the program in April 2018 and graduated in September 2020.

She said she had always wanted to go back to school but never knew what she should study. After working in finance for a couple of years at Louisville Water, she found her calling.

“I wanted to advance in the field, and I was going to need a degree to do so,” she explained. “I found the program at Indiana Wesleyan University was perfect for someone like me with small children and a busy schedule.”

All of her classes were online, and she took just one at a time. Starnes says that her coursework has given her a better understanding of accounting principles and programs she uses on the job.

“I have also developed better time management and organization skills,” she said.

For Starnes, going back to school wasn’t easy for her with juggling work and family, but this program has helped by making school affordable.

“The tuition assistance program helps alleviate that financial burden, and while it is something that is not going to be easy, it will be worth it,” said Starnes. “My son was an infant when I signed up, so I was not sure how I was going to juggle all that I had going on, but I am glad I signed up when I did.”