EMU Today

Amazon employees in the U.S. will benefit from new Career Choice partnerships with more than 140 Universities and Colleges including Michigan universities Eastern Michigan University, Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Valley State University, Henry Ford College, as well as national non-profit online providers Southern New Hampshire University, Colorado State University – Global, Western Governors University, and National University

Amazon also partners with GEDWorks and Smart Horizons to provide employees with free high school completion and GED preparation, Voxy EnGen and goFLUENT to provide English language proficiency training, and Outlier to provide college preparation courses

Career Choice is part of Amazon’s Upskilling 2025 pledge – a $1.2 billion commitment to upskill more than 300,000 Amazon employees by 2025

SEATTLE – March 3, 2022 – Amazon announced today that it is further expanding the career advancement opportunities it offers its 750,000 hourly employees in the U.S. by partnering with more than 140 national and local universities to provide fully-funded college tuition. Michigan employees will have access to education from Eastern Michigan University, Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Valley State University, Henry Ford College, as well as national online education providers, including Southern New Hampshire University, Colorado State University – Global, Western Governors University, and National University. Today’s announcement is part of the company’s ongoing enhancements to Career Choice – an Amazon upskilling program designed to help frontline employees grow their skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere.

Amazon is also partnering with GEDWorks and Smart Horizons to provide employees with free high school completion and GED preparation, Voxy EnGen and goFLUENT to provide English language proficiency training, and Outlier to provide college preparation courses – all for free.

“I’m excited to return to Grand Valley State University as an adult student,” said Mark Sessions, an employee at Amazon’s Grand Rapids Fulfillment Center. “I think that continued education is important to improving your life and career and once I learned about Amazon’s free college tuition, I decided take advantage of this great benefit today, so that I don’t have to wait any longer to go back to school.”

"I applaud Amazon's efforts to provide outstanding educational benefits to its employees," said Eastern Michigan University President James Smith. "As the second oldest public university in Michigan, Eastern Michigan University has a rich tradition of supporting students through the degree process - whether they are taking college classes for the first time or already have some credits and are looking to complete their degree. With more than 200+ degree programs, we can satisfy virtually every interest and career pursuit. Classes are offered in fully remote formats, in person, and hybrid, which provides a mix between the two. We are looking forward to facilitating the educational success of Amazon employees. Our dedicated team is prepared to help them through the admissions process."

“GVSU is excited and prepared to partner with Amazon Career Choice to expand educational access for working adults in our community,” said Grand Valley State University President Philomena V. Mantella. “Our commitment to Amazon employees, as to all students, is to help them discover their passions in a supportive environment, guiding them to achieve their goals, regardless of where they are in their professional and educational journeys.”

These new partnerships are part of Amazon’s continued investment in its Career Choice program, which now offers fully-funded college tuition, allows employees to participate every year they work at Amazon, and gives them eligibility after only 90 days of employment. Through Career Choice, employees can pursue a Bachelor’s degree, earn industry certifications leading to in-demand jobs, and build skills through English language proficiency, and high school completion programs.

With Career Choice, Amazon works to make it easy for employees to advance their education—even building classrooms on-site in many of its buildings. Employees can take classes online, in-person at a local university, or on-site in one of the over 110 Career Choice classrooms located in fulfillment centers in 37 states. Since launching in 2012, Career Choice has helped provide education for more than 50,000 employees. As of this announcement, Amazon’s Career Choice program works with more than 180 education providers across the U.S., which along with colleges and universities includes partners providing industry certifications, English language proficiency, and high school completion programs. Career Choice is one of nine free skills training and education programs that Amazon offers to its employees as part of its Upskilling 2025 pledge.

“We’re committed to empowering our employees with easy access to the education and training they need to grow their careers, whether that’s with us or elsewhere,” said Alicia Boler Davis, Senior Vice President of Global Customer Fulfillment. “We’re thrilled today to be adding more education partners to our Career Choice program, which we hope will give our team access to the educational paths that fit their passions. Whether someone is looking to build their English proficiency skills, prepare for GED testing, or earn their Bachelor’s degree, we’re working to meet our employees wherever they are on their educational journey.”

Career training is just one of the industry-leading benefits that Amazon offers to its team. In addition, Amazon pays employees an average starting wage of $18 per hour, which is more than double the federal minimum wage, and provides comprehensive health benefits, paid time off, up to 20 weeks fully paid parental leave, and additional benefits for employees and their families.

To learn more about Career Choice, visit: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/career-choice.

To learn more about Amazon’s $1.2 billion investment to upskill 300,000 employees in the next four years, visit: http://aboutamazon.com/upskilling2025.

Jobs are available across Michigan. Interested candidates can see all open positions at https://hiring.amazon.com/.