Chipotle Rolls Part-Time Employees Into Tuition Program

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Chief Learning Officer

Chipotle Rolls Part-Time Employees Into Tuition Program
June 10, 2015
Kate Everson

While burger-fryers continue to fight for higher wages, Chipotle Mexican Grill’s taco technicians are about to get tuition.

Starting July 1, the Denver-based chain will offer tuition reimbursement, among other benefits, to its part-time employees. Of the company’s 53,090 employees, approximately 48,500 are hourly. The company will reimburse 90 percent of tuition, books and fees up to $5,250 per calendar year.

Chipotle’s announcement is another link in a chain of them — in May, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Inc. began an up-front tuition plan for its dealership employees, and Starbucks Corp.’s College Achievement Plan expanded pay for all four years of Arizona State University Online education. Like its counterparts, Chipotle is aware how supporting employees’ college education can help its success. Unlike its counterparts, it’s not afraid to admit that as the first reason to extend benefits to part-time workers.

Because it doesn’t have franchised restaurants, Chipotle has an easier time pushing talent up through the ranks, making tuition reimbursement an investment in the company’s as well as the employees' future.


Read more: http://www.clomedia.com/blogs/2-from-the-editors/post/6309-chipotle-rolls-part-time-employees-into-tuition-program

[marble falls]

1. No wonder McDonalds spun them off.

[Recursion]

2. McDonalds has a huge tuition assistance program

They'll pay 100% for any employee's GED, they pay IIRC $500 per semester for community college, and offer scholarships to employees working towards a business or management degree. And unlike most of their benefits those go to employees of franchises too.

McDonald's is a weird double world: the franchises are some of the worst places in the country to work, but the corporate locations are about as good as fast food jobs get (and most of their senior management started as shift managers -- a few started as line workers). Unfortunately they exert essentially zero control on the conditions at franchises, and they need to either change that or stop franchising.