Announcement made at graduation ceremony honoring Career Online High School graduate
Last week, McDonald’s announced that it will allocate $150 million over five years to its global Archways to Opportunity education program. The announcement was made at a graduation ceremony in Indianapolis celebrating recent Career Online High School graduate Gloria Atkins, shown below with Dr. Howard Liebman, District Superintendent of the COHS’ district. Read more about the graduation ceremony.
“Since its inception, Archways to Opportunity was meant to match the ambition and drive of restaurant crew with the means and network to help them find success on their own terms,” said David Fairhurst, McDonald’s Chief People Officer, who attended the ceremony. “By tripling tuition assistance and lowering eligibility requirements to the equivalent of a summer job, we are sending a signal that if you come work at your local McDonald’s, we’ll invest in your future.”
Highlights of the expanded benefits include:
- Increased tuition investment: tripling tuition assistance for crew; increasing from $1,050 to $3,000 for managers; and no lifetime cap
- Lowered eligibility requirements: from 9 months to 90 days
- Dropping minimum shift requirements: from 20 to 15 hours to give employees more time to work on studies
“McDonald’s is making it easier for workers to access education benefits and they are making those benefits more generous,” said Jamie Fall, director, The Aspen Institute’s Upskill America in McDonald’s press release. “Plus, paying the tuition up-front for workers instead of through a reimbursement process allows far more workers to take advantage of the program. These are all very positive advancements to their Archways to Opportunity program.”
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