Seattle-based online retail giant Amazon has partnered with nine Texas colleges and universities to fully fund the tuition for the company’s 750,000 hourly employees, according to a press release.
Alamo College, Austin Community College, Dallas College, Houston Community College, Lone Star College, Tarrant County Community College, Texas State University, University of Texas at Dallas and University of North Texas are partner schools in Amazon’s Career Choice initiative.
“As Texans and Americans continue to recover from the pandemic, the demands are clear – employers increasingly rely on highly skilled workers and employees increasingly need credentials of value to compete in a globally competitive workforce,” Texas Commissioner of Higher Education Harrison Keller said in the release. “By making this commitment to its employees through higher education, Amazon is demonstrating how partnerships among employers and institutions can empower students to contribute to, participate in and benefit from our world class economy.”
The Career Choice program allows employees to participate in each year they're employed at Amazon, the company reported.
They become eligible after logging 90 days of employment.
Career Choice enrollees can earn bachelor's degrees and industry certifications.
“I’m so proud of Amazon’s commitment to invest in the future of our employees by providing easier access to higher education,” Amazon's Texas Director of Operations Evan Luscher said in the release. “Amazon’s dedication to upskill our employees and empower their future regardless of whether or not it benefits the company is truly remarkable. Initiatives like Career Choice can be life-changing for some people and I look forward to seeing how the program evolves.”
Launched in 2012, the program has educated more than 50,000 employees in its first decade of existence, the release said.