Once upon a time, workers looked for a ‘lifetime’ job that provided a good salary and excellent employee benefits until retirement – but those days are over. Labor analysts predict that today’s work force will work longer, and most people will probably have multiple careers – and some corporations are helping their employees prepare for this new trend.

I.B.M. is a prime example. A few years ago this corporate giant began offering employees a personal learning account plan – a program that encourages continuing education by underwriting a share of each employee’s tuition. And I.B.M. does not require that employees pursue studies geared to internal corporate advancement. In fact, one employee in the company’s Cambridge, Mass. office is currently pursing classes in filmmaking, while another I.B.M.er in Texas is enrolled in an agriculture program at North Central Texas College.

Approximately 50 companies nationwide are offering some form of employee-controlled education accounts. Some follow the I.B.M. model and allow employees to pursue studies in the academic disciple of their choice. However, some are pointed more toward internal career development, supporting employees looking to enhance their skills to advance within the corporate structure. A number of these corporate programs have a tuition-sharing formula with employees, while others pay the entire freight.

The Council for Adult and Experimental Learning (CAEL), a Chicago-based not-for-profit, is advocating for a national policy of portable Lifelong Learning Accounts. In an effort to promote this initiative, the Council has embarked on a three-year pilot program with selected corporations and foundations from around the country. Sinai Health Systems of Chicago has launched one of these programs, with backing provided by Illinois economic development funds. Atlantic Philanthropies is currently financing another program in conjunction with City College of San Francisco.

“These accounts are a great fit for mature workers who want to broaden their skills or use this as a career changer,” says a Council spokesperson.

Started in 1996, United Technologies Corporation headquartered Hartford, Connecticut started a ‘employee scholar’ program. Based on a different model than the CAEL initiative, United Technologies reports approximately 15,000 employees participate in their educational benefits program annually, and about 2,500 degrees are awarded annually.

Community colleges and on-line college programs offer many of these mid-life scholars the right combination of academic excellence and scheduling flexibility.

“Our employees will have lots of different jobs in the global economy,” said an I.B.M. spokesperson, citing that over 2,000 employees have enrolled in the program since it began two years ago. “We also have a lot of people trying weekend intensive courses, which we see as a great way for people to explore a new career.”