BCTC partners with fast food giant to offer tuition help to nearly 2,000 Ky. students
Lexington-area McDonald’s operators are hoping to hire over 2,000 new employees in the coming months by offering tuition assistance to new hires who also attend community college locally.
As part of the McDonald’s Archways to Opportunity program, employees who work at least 15 hours per week for 90 days could get up to $2,500 in tuition assistance as a crewmember and up to $3,000 per year as a manager, according to a press release from the fast food chain.
McDonald’s is partnering with the Bluegrass Community and Technical College to offer the program. Average BCTC tuition this year for in-state students is $2,148 for students who take 16 weeks of classes — about the length of a college semester. The college has seven campuses across Central Kentucky.
Students enrolled in other colleges across the statewide Kentucky Community and Technical College system are eligible for the program, said McDonald’s spokesperson Bill Herbst. Student-employees in the program would see no reduction in their hourly wage. The hourly wage can vary from location to location, Herbst said.
During a virtual press conference Thursday, BCTC President Koffi Akakpo said the partnership “will open doors for students across our region.”
“Affording college can be difficult and for so many the cost can be a challenge that prevents from continuing their education,” Akakpo said. “That’s why this partnership between (BCTC) and McDonald’s is crucial — another avenue to help break down those financial barriers in the way of student success.”
Students interested in applying can text 36453 to begin the process, said Pam Hancock an owner and operators of two Central Kentucky McDonald’s.
McDonald’s has offered the Archways to Opportunity program for nearly five years, and has given support to employees working to complete high school and college diplomas, the company said in a release. According to the company’s tuition assistance website, the high school diplomas were completed through online courses. McDonald’s also offers tuition assistance for a handful of other colleges across the country such as Southern New Hampshire University’s online College for America.