SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amazon announced today that it is further expanding the career advancement opportunities it offers its 750,000 hourly employees in the U.S. by partnering 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.
Today’s announcement is 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. Partner schools in Texas include:
- Alamo College
- Austin Community College
- Dallas College
- Houston Community College
- Lonestar College
- Tarrant County Community College
- Texas State University
- University of Texas at Dallas
- University of North Texas
“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 Texas Commissioner of Higher Education Harrison Keller. “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.”
These new partnerships are part of Amazon’s continued investment in its Career Choice program, which now offers fully-funded college tuition, 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.
“I’m so proud of Amazon’s commitment to invest in the future of our employees by providing easier access to higher education,” said Evan Luscher, Director of Operations at Amazon in Texas. “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 lifechanging for some people and I look forward to seeing how the program evolves.”
With Career Choice, Amazon works to make it easy for employees to advance their education—even building classrooms on-site in many of its buildings. Employees can take classes online, in-person at a local university, or on-site in one of the over 110 Career Choice classrooms located in fulfillment centers in 37 states. Since launching in 2012, Career Choice has helped provide education for more than 50,000 employees. As of this announcement, Amazon’s Career Choice program works with more than 180 education providers across the U.S., which along with colleges and universities includes partners providing industry certifications, English language proficiency, and high school completion programs. Career Choice is one of nine free skills training and education programs that Amazon offers to its employees as part of its Upskilling 2025 pledge.
“We’re excited to have been selected as a partner university for the Amazon Career Choice program,” said Adam Fein, Vice President for Digital Strategy and Innovation at UNT. “In our discussions together, we knew immediately we would be a good match. They were looking for a highly ranked, diverse, mature university with a strong presence in the area, and we were thrilled to offer our in-person and online undergraduate programs to tens of thousands of Amazon employees in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and all across Texas.”
Career training is just one of the industry-leading benefits that Amazon offers to its team. In addition, Amazon pays employees an average starting wage of $18 per hour, which is more than double the federal minimum wage, and provides comprehensive health benefits, paid time off, up to 20 weeks fully paid parental leave, and additional benefits for employees and their families.
“The Houston Community College System is excited to partner with Amazon to assist their employees to upskill and earn college credentials and degrees in high demand industry areas that will serve them in achieving their career pathways and upper economic mobility goals,” said Madeline Burillo-Hopkins, Vice Chancellor Workforce Instruction and President of HCC Southwest. “This partnership is another example of how HCC and Amazon continue to work together to enhance local communities and their employees with high quality, award-winning educational programs that provide a solid foundation for reskilling and to prepare them for further education in a variety of career pathway fields. We look forward to welcoming Amazon employees and supporting them in their career and educational goals.”
To learn more about Career Choice, visit: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/career-choice
To learn more about Amazon’s $1.2 billion investment to upskill 300,000 employees in the next four years, visit: http://aboutamazon.com/upskilling2025
Jobs are available across Texas. Interested candidates can see all open positions at https://hiring.amazon.com/.