An ice caramel latte is not the only tasty treat Starbucks has to offer, it will now provide a free online college education to thousands of its workers.Starbucks will still pay for one’s education, without them remaining with the company through a deal they made with Arizona State University. The program is open to any of the company’s 135,000 United States employees, however these employees should work at least 20 hours a week and have the grades and test scores to gain admission, Arizona State told NY Times. Baristas who have at least two years of college credit, the company will pay full tuition; those with less credits the company will pay part of it. Yet, there will be those whose courses will be free —if they are getting assistance from government and university aid.
President and chief executive officer Jamie P. Merisotis of the Lumina Foundation, a group focused on education, expressed his thoughts about the company paying for their workers education, “Starbucks is going where no other major corporation has gone,” he said to NY Times, “For many of these Starbucks employees, an online university education is the only reasonable way they’re going to get a bachelor’s degree.”
According to the NY Times , based on employee surveys, (not including those who are already attending college), there are seventy percent of Starbucks employees that do not have a degree but want to earn one. There were some that never gone to college, while the ones that did, at some point dropped out.
Starbuck is giving its employees the opportunity to study whatever areas that may interest them, and then they can leave whenever they like, assuming leaving for better-paying jobs.
The “new Starbuck program” is going to be very beneficial to all of its employees. Apart from assisting financially, the program makes things more convenient for students since all they really need is a computer. The best of luck to all of Starbuck’s employees!
