McDonald's of Indiana and Ivy Tech Community College are making college more affordable for the restaurant chain’s Hoosier employees.
McDonald’s and Ivy Tech on Jan. 9 launched the Archways to Opportunity to education program where McDonald’s employees in Indiana, who work a minimum of 90 days at 15 hours per week will be eligible for tuition assistance of up to $2,500 annually as a crew member and up to $3,000 per year as a manager.
The program is available at more than 300 McDonald's Indiana locations and 18 Ivy Tech campuses, operating across 40 sites in Indiana.
Through the program program, Ivy Tech will offer crosswalk credits to McDonald's restaurant employees for some on-the-job training and classes, plus individualized counseling – allowing them to earn a degree faster, the organizations said in a statement.
McDonald's restaurants launched the Archways to Opportunity tuition assistance program in Indiana five years ago. The company provided more than $1.2 million in tuition assistance to restaurant employees across Indiana in 2019.
“We want to encourage as many of our employees and students across Indiana as we can to take advantage of this tuition assistance program,” said Robert Terhune, McDonald's owner/operator and president of the Greater Indiana Operator Co-op. “We believe this strengthens all of our communities throughout Indiana.”
Ivy Tech's degree crosswalk will allow McDonald's employees to work with an Ivy Tech counselor to determine which of their McDonald's training and work experiences may be converted into credits which they can apply towards a certificate or degree.
Ivy Tech says the partnership fits with the college's mission.
“Ivy Tech locations across Indiana currently enroll many talented McDonald's employees pursuing upward mobility in their careers and we expect this partnership to encourage even more employees to enroll and at the same time, assist in finding potential new employees for McDonald's and new students for Ivy Tech,” said Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann. “Each Ivy Tech campus will dedicate an advisor to McDonald's employee enrollment, questions and scheduling needs. We are committed to helping each and every employee further their education and achieve their dreams.”
