Go back to Lithuania and go to work as a saleswoman in "Maxima", because somewhere else you are not needed in Lithuania without good family ties with the beavers. Live and laugh. I laugh here without stopping. And how to get that education?
"Amazon.com Inc. is offering to pay college tuition for more than 750,000 employees, joining other companies in dangling the prospect of a free education to lure and retain staff in a tight U.S. job market.
Amazon said Thursday that it would cover the cost of tuition and books for staff pursuing bachelor's degrees at various universities nationwide. Hourly employees would be eligible for the new perk after 90 days on the job. It didn't identify the schools.
The company has hired 400,000 employees during the pandemic, but it is looking to reduce turnover and bring on tens of thousands of additional hourly staffers to work in its fulfillment centers and delivery network in the coming months.
"Career progression is the new minimum wage," said Ardine Williams, a vice president of workforce development at Amazon, who notes employer-funded training can help people prepare for a career that interests them. "Most adult learners don't have the luxury of quitting their jobs and going to school full time," she said.
The stepped-up perks also reflect what executives say is a reality across the corporate sphere: Even $15 an hour, Amazon's base wage, is no longer enough to attract many workers. As more employers and cities have raised minimum wages, large companies have aimed to differentiate themselves through additional benefits, such as more time off, access to emergency child care and a path to a broader education and new skills.
Many of the U.S.'s biggest companies strengthened educational initiatives this year, or rolled out programs essentially matching the benefits offered by their competitors.
Walmart Inc., one of Amazon's chief rivals, said in July it would fully subsidize college tuition and books for 1.5 million part-time and full-time employees in the U.S., dropping an earlier requirement that employees pay a $1 daily fee toward their education. Walmart employees can enroll in the program on their first day of work.
Last month, Target Corp. said it would offer its 340,000 U.S. workers no-cost college education, including books and course fees, for several programs.
Among restaurant chains, Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. offers free college tuition to employees who work at least 15 hours a week after four months on the job. In 2015, Starbucks Corp. said it would cover the full cost for employees who work an average of at least 20 hours a week to get a degree online through Arizona State University.
As more companies offer such benefits, they can become an expectation among hourly workers, which pressures more employers to offer similar perks, economists said. For companies that are willing to go only so far on pay, training and educational opportunities can represent another form of compensation, said Chris O'Leary, a senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, a nonprofit research center.
Educational initiatives also can help companies in attracting a more aspirational worker, one who may be persuaded to stay in a difficult job until they complete their education, he said. "They might be able to get enough productive months or years out of somebody to make it worth the investment," he said.
Some elements of Amazon's four-year degree benefit are still being ironed out. When the program launches in January, employees likely would be able to attend in-person or online courses, Ms. Williams said.
Amazon also will cover the cost of an associate degree, high-school completion program, English-as-a-second-language certification or other programs. Previously, it paid 95% of the costs for an associate degree or other certification programs and didn't offer four-year degrees.
Amazon will pay tuition and fees upfront. The specific fields of study offered could vary by community based on the in-demand jobs in the area, though Ms. Williams said it is likely that Amazon would support degrees in technology, engineering and healthcare, among others. Amazon doesn't require employees to pay back tuition or fees if they leave the company in the middle of a course or shortly after completing a program.
The company on Thursday also said it was expanding other upskilling training programs offered to employees, including launching programs focused on areas such as user-experience design and research. Amazon said its overall education and upskilling efforts likely would cost the company $1.2 billion by 2025.
In hopes of retaining workers, a number of companies are extending education benefits to the children of employees, too.
Meat processor JBS USA Holdings Inc. launched a program this year that provides full-time employees and their dependents access to tuition-free associate degrees and trade certificates. So far, 1,835 people have enrolled in the program, including nearly 600 dependents of employees. Programs in animal sciences, business administration, liberal arts and general education and nursing have been among the most popular so far, the company said.
The program has become a point of pride for some employees, said Chris Gaddis, the head of human resources for JBS USA. "They don't want their kids to have to work in a meat plant -- they take great pride in it, but they also realize that the world extends beyond the boundaries of that particular beef plant," he said.
Waste Management Inc., which made public its own free college-degree program for employees this year, will expand its program to dependents who are eligible for benefits later this year.
Meanwhile, California legislators advanced this week a bill to regulate companies like Amazon that employ quotas and other algorithm-driven work practices. The measure would bar companies from enforcing productivity quotas and penalties that affect employees' health and safety, including the ability to take breaks.
The bill, which was backed by a coalition of labor groups, passed the state Senate with a 26-11 vote Wednesday. The measure was opposed by business groups including the California Chamber of Commerce and the California Retailers Association. Amazon belongs to both groups but hasn't taken its own position." [1]
1.Amazon Workers Get Tuition Perk
Cutter, Chip. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 10 Sep 2021: A.1.
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