Business Partners | Lackawanna College

Business Partners

Purposeful Partnerships. Real Results.

Lackawanna College works with employers across Pennsylvania to deliver flexible, affordable, and customized education solutions that strengthen your workforce — and your bottom line.

More Than an Education Benefit. A Workforce Strategy.

Your employees want to grow. Lackawanna makes it easier — and far more affordable — for them to do it.

Through Lackawanna’s Business Partnership Program, employers gain access to a full suite of workforce education solutions: tuition matching and discounting, cohort pricing, custom certificates, on-site training, and more. We work alongside your HR and training teams to design a program that fits your workforce, your industry, and your goals.

This isn’t a one-size-fits-all program. It’s a strategic partnership — built around the needs of the businesses and communities that drive Pennsylvania forward. With 88% of our students from Pennsylvania and 32% working adults over 25, your employees are already part of the community we serve.

How We Work Together

Lackawanna offers multiple engagement models so we can meet employers where they are. Partnerships are customized based on your workforce size, industry, and education goals.

Scholarship Tuition Match

Lackawanna matches your

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Lackawanna matches your company’s tuition assistance contribution effectively doubling the value of your existing education benefit.

Free Tuition Programs

Full tuition coverage

Full tuition coverage for select certificate or degree programs, combining employer and LC investment. Can include work-back agreements or retention commitments.

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Cohort Pricing

Discounted, fixed tuition

Discounted, fixed tuition for employer-sponsored employee groups with structured start/end dates and custom scheduling — evenings, weekends, and compressed formats available.

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Custom Certificates

Tailored programs aligned 

Tailored programs aligned directly to your competencies and workforce gaps. Stackable credentials that ladder into associate or bachelor’s degrees, built with your subject matter experts.

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Professional Development

Leadership pipelines

Leadership pipelines, supervisor-to-manager-to-executive tracks, soft skills training, and industry-specific modules including healthcare compliance and manufacturing leadership.

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On-Site Training

Lackawanna delivers training

Lackawanna delivers training at your location with flexible scheduling to accommodate shift-based workforces. Minimal disruption to productivity.

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Dependent Discount

Tuition benefits extended 

Tuition benefits are extended to spouses and dependents who will receive a discounted tuition rate from 10—25% — a powerful recruitment and retention differentiator.

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Community Scholarships

Jointly branded 

Jointly branded scholarships prioritized for underserved populations or critical labor shortage roles in your region.

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Tuition Discount

Business can receive 

Business can receive a 10 to 25% tuition discount which provides an affordable pathway to complete college programs.

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Dual Enrollment Discounts

Dependents in a Pre-College

Dependents in a Pre-College Program will receive the $100 per credit tuition rate.

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Commitment Fee Waiver

All non-resident students

All non-resident students receive a waiver of the $100 commitment fee.

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What’s in It for Your Organization

A Lackawanna partnership is designed to deliver measurable value — for your HR team, your employees, and your business.

For your HR team

Dedicated Employer Liaison

A single point of contact handles all program coordination and account management. We reduce the administrative burden on your HR team.

Turnkey Implementation

End-to-end support from design through enrollment, delivery, and reporting. We handle the logistics so you don’t have to.

Workforce Analytics & Reporting

Regular reports on enrollment, retention, completion, and ROI. Real data to support HR strategy and workforce planning.

Co-Branded Marketing Support

Joint press releases, social campaigns, and internal communications toolkits to drive employee participation and enhance your employer brand.

For your employees

Retain and Grow Your Best People

Education benefits correlate strongly with increased tenure. Clear career advancement pathways keep employees invested in your organization.

Seven Start Dates Per Year

Rolling enrollment minimizes wait times and aligns education with your hiring cycles and workforce planning calendar.

Build Your Internal Talent Pipeline

Reduce reliance on external hiring. Build role-ready employees aligned with your specific competencies and culture.

Access to Facilities Statewide

Use Lackawanna classrooms, labs, and conference spaces across 11 Pennsylvania locations for meetings, leadership retreats, and training.

For your business

Double Your Tuition Reimbursement ROI

Lackawanna’s matching programs effectively double employer education investments — lower net cost per credential earned.

Priority Access to Graduate Talent

Early access to candidates, preferred hiring pipelines, and featured employer status at Lackawanna career fairs and hiring events.

Internships, Clinicals & Work-Based Learning

Structured student placement programs aligned with your workforce needs. Pre-hire talent evaluation built in.

Influence on Curriculum

Advisory board participation and direct input into program design ensures graduates meet your real-time industry needs.

Built for Companies Who Drive Our Communities

We’re actively building partnerships in every market where Lackawanna has a presence — companies with meaningful education benefits and a genuine commitment to their workforce’s future.

The training Lackawanna College conducted for our staff received very good comments, especially on instructors for both classes.  It was very well received.

Ryan Ling, Infrastructure Program Specialist, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Our partnership with Lackawanna College has worked very well.  We're seeing great staff interest in advanced education and strong feedback from employees who participated in the program. The Allied team is very satisfied with the Lackawanna College collaboration.

Judy Oprisko, Chief Human Resources Officer & Compliance Officer, Allied Services
The McDonald's/Lackawanna College business partnership has been a great success for our team members, our company and Lackawanna College. We've seen dozens of colleagues utilize the tuition scholarship to advance their educations and recently heralded those who have gone on to earn their degrees while working for us.

McDonald's is proud to be a partner with Lackawanna College in making this program accessible and affordable to team members.

The Impact Speaks for Itself

employer partners across Pennsylvania
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degrees and certificates
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students served annually
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in annual discounts awarded
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Fastest-Growing Private, Nonprofit College

Chronicle of Higher Education
2021

World’s Most Innovative Companies

Fast Company
2021

Best Places to Work

2014–2020, 2023, 2024

Program Perspectives

Degrees and Certificates Your Employees Can Use

Partnership-eligible employees can access Lackawanna’s full range of accredited programs — online, hybrid, or on-campus — with flexible scheduling designed around working adults. Programs span business, healthcare, technology, skilled trades, public safety, and more.

Credential options include non-credit certificates, credit-bearing custom certificates, associate degrees, and bachelor’s degree pathways. Credit for prior learning (CPL) and recognition of employer-based training help employees progress faster. Lackawanna holds Middle States Accreditation, ensuring credentials are recognized and respected by employers across the region.

Explore all programs at lackawanna.edu or contact us to discuss the best pathways for your workforce.

Common Questions from Employers

No. You don’t need an existing tuition assistance program to get started. Lackawanna works with employers at every stage — whether you’re building an education benefit from scratch or looking to maximize one you already have. We’ll help you design a partnership structure that makes sense for your organization and your workforce.

Eligibility extends to full-time and part-time employees covered under the partnership agreement, as well as spouses and dependents through our dependent discount programs — depending on the structure of your agreement.

No. Lackawanna partners with organizations of all sizes — from regional anchor employers to smaller businesses with a focused workforce development need. What matters most is a shared commitment to investing in your people. Whether you have 50 employees or 5,000, we’ll build a partnership model that fits.

Lackawanna partners with employers across healthcare, manufacturing, hospitality, retail, skilled trades, technology, public safety, and more. If you’re a major employer in a community where Lackawanna operates, we want to talk.

Generally about four weeks from first conversation to signed agreement. We move quickly because we know your workforce needs don’t wait — and our team handles the heavy lifting on the back end so the process stays simple on yours.

Once an agreement is in place, Lackawanna assigns a dedicated employer liaison and a student success advisor to your account. We handle turnkey program rollout — including internal marketing support, on-site information sessions, enrollment logistics, and ongoing workforce analytics and reporting. Your HR team does not need to manage the day-to-day.

Let’s Start the Conversation

Tell us a little about your organization and we’ll be in touch to explore what a Lackawanna partnership could look like for your team.

We’ll reach out to you within 1-2 business days.
For a quicker response, call us at (570) 961-7815.