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Tarrant County College and University of North Texas are among those colleges and universities in Texas which have partnered with Amazon, which will provide fully-funded tuition for its employees who enroll in either of those schools.
The announcement last week was part of the company’s ongoing enhancements to Career Choice — an Amazon upskilling program designed to help frontline employees grow their skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere.
Amazon, which employs 750,000 hourly employees in the U.S., has partnered with more than 140 national and local universities to provide fully funded college tuition. Employees in Texas will have access to education from nine colleges and universities as well as national online education providers, including Southern New Hampshire University, Colorado State University – Global, Western Governors University, and National University.
In addition to TCC and UNT, partner schools in Texas include: Alamo Colleges District in San Antonio, Austin Community College, Dallas Community College, Houston Community College, Lone Star College in Houston, Texas State University, and University of Texas at Dallas.
“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,” said Harrison Keller, Texas commissioner of higher education, in a statement. “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.”
Career Choice allows employees to participate every year they work at Amazon and gives them eligibility after only 90 days of employment. Through Career Choice, employees can pursue a bachelor’s degree, earn industry certifications leading to in-demand jobs, and build skills through English language proficiency, and high school completion programs.
“Amazon’s dedication to upskill our employees and empower their future regardless of whether or not it benefits the company is truly remarkable,” said Evan Luscher, director of operations at Amazon in Texas. “Initiatives like Career Choice can be life changing for some people and I look forward to seeing how the program evolves.”
Since launching in 2012, Career Choice has helped provide education for more than 50,000 employees.
Learn more about Career Choice here.