MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Walser Automotive Group is thinking about the success of its employees in a new way—by focusing on their children. A new scholarship program launching this month now extends new education benefits to employees’ children and dependents.
The Walser Driven to Succeed Scholarship is offering up to $10,000 in tuition assistance in support of higher education. The scholarship will support students of Walser employees who are pursuing technical and associates degrees, four-year, and masters-level programs.
The program, funded by the Walser Foundation, allows children and dependents of Walser employees to apply to the scholarship annually up to four years. Among other eligibility criteria, applicants are asked to submit an essay based upon one of Walser’s four core values.
“Our company leans on our Core Values for so many things—it’s a driver of who we are and how we do business. We’re proud to integrate these values into this new scholarship program,” said Walser Foundation Director Nancy Warner.
The family-focused scholarship is the latest initiative by Walser specifically focused on the notion of family. Walser Chief Human Resources Officer Sherry Schultz said the offering of family-focused benefits speaks to the wants and needs of employees.
“We know that family is a top-ranking personal core value among our employees. We know this because we’ve asked. Understanding that, we’re continually evaluating our benefits that support it. In this case, family continues to be a huge driver of our employee engagement and retention strategy,” Schultz said.
In January, Walser rolled out up to $10,000 in fertility and adoption assistance for its employees. The 27-rooftop dealer also offers four weeks of paid maternity, paternity, and adoption leave. The onset of COVID-19 also prompted the company to initiate its Paid Family Care Leave program, allowing qualifying employees two weeks of paid time off to care for sick family members.
“Diversifying our family-focused benefits is critically important. Not all Walser employees are parents to young children anymore. The Driven to Succeed Scholarship can powerfully impact children of our employees who are looking to the next step in their higher education journey,” Shultz said. “We’re incredibly proud to be a part of that.”
The Walser Foundation, which donates over $500,000 annually to nonprofit organizations, also offers a public-facing scholarship to high school students in the places where it does business.
