Amazon is partnering with higher-education institutions in Texas to offer over 30,000 of its employees fully-funded tuition at nine colleges and universities.
According to a news release, Amazon’s Career Choice partnerships is an up-skilling program designed to help employees develop their skills for career success, whether they choose to work at Amazon or elsewhere.
The program allows employees to take high school completion programs, pursue a bachelor’s degree, and earn industry certifications for highly-demanded jobs. Employees can also build skills in English language proficiency.
The colleges in North Texas partnering with Amazon to offer the Career Choice programs are Dallas College, Austin Community College, Tarrant County Community College, the University of Texas at Dallas, and the University of North Texas.
Four other institutions in Texas — Houston Community College, Alamo College, Lonestar College, and Texas State University — were also selected as partner schools.
According to Amazon, employees that have been with the company for 90 days are eligible to participate in the program, and are allowed to do so every year.
Vice President for Digital Strategy and Innovation at UNT Adam Fein expressed excitement about the forthcoming partnership.
“We’re excited to have been selected as a partner university for the Amazon Career Choice program,” Fein said.
Fein further said the University is thrilled that “tens of thousands of Amazon employees in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and all across Texas” will have access to their in-person and online undergraduate programs.
Texas Commissioner of Higher Education Harrison Keller added that partnerships between employers and institutions like Amazon empower students to not only benefit from America’s world-class economy, but also participate in and contribute to it.