Climate Change Data

U.S. Department of Education

Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2007-12 to 2016-01, 2012-2014, 2016)

Reporting Period: 2007-12 to 2016-01

Environmental Metrics

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

  • The Great Recession disproportionately impacted workers with a high school diploma or less, resulting in significant job losses and slow recovery.
  • Structural economic shifts towards industries requiring higher education have widened the economic divide.
  • Job polarization and jobless growth have hindered overall economic recovery.
Mitigation Strategies
  • The report focuses on analyzing the impact of the recession and recovery, highlighting the need for postsecondary education and training to address the skills gap.

Supply Chain Management

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Reporting Period: 2012-2014

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

  • Social

Social Achievements

  • Education Reimbursement Program (ERP) resulted in a 129% ROI due to avoided talent management costs.
  • ERP participants achieved 43% higher incremental wage gains compared to non-participants.

Climate Goals & Targets

Medium-term Goals:
  • Better align ERP investments with high-priority talent needs to help fill gaps and create strategic talent pipelines.
Short-term Goals:
  • Conduct year-over-year ROI program measurement and seek to expand the ROI calculation to include additional factors, such as productivity or employee engagement.

Environmental Challenges

  • Lack of quantification of ERP value for the business and employees.
  • ERP not consistently linked to Cigna's talent strategy and business needs.
Mitigation Strategies
  • Increased financial support for degrees in strategic fields of study.
  • Launched advisory services to support ERP participants and help them navigate career pathways.
  • Eliminated the burden of upfront payment by working with education partners.

Supply Chain Management

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Reporting Period: 2016

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

  • Equity and Access
  • Quality Assurance
  • Affordability

Social Achievements

  • Launched EQUIP initiative to increase access to higher education for low-income students through partnerships with non-traditional providers.

Governance Achievements

  • Established a framework for outcomes-based quality assurance processes for non-traditional higher education programs.

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

  • Lack of access to financial aid for students in non-traditional higher education programs.
  • Lack of information about the quality of non-traditional programs.
Mitigation Strategies
  • EQUIP experiment provides federal financial aid to eligible students in selected partnerships.
  • Independent third-party quality assurance entities (QAEs) will assess student outcomes and program quality.

Supply Chain Management

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • SDG 4: Quality Education

The EQUIP initiative aims to improve access to quality education for low-income students.