In June of 2014, Starbucks announced its College Achievement Plan, which aimed to provide its workers with the opportunity that many Americans don’t have—free college tuition. This program gave employees discounts on their first two years of schooling and Arizona State University Online, and then covered all costs for the students’ junior and senior years. Starbucks has now taken it a step further with their recent announcement that they will now offer four years of free tuition for every single one of their eligible employees.
The College Achievement Plan is a huge program for Starbucks—especially when paired with its Opportunity Youth initiative. Remember the #RaceTogether campaign that Starbucks launched last month? Opportunity Youth stems from this concept; it includes youth between the ages of 16 and 24 in disconnected areas. Starbucks aims to hire 10,000 of these young workers in the next three years in the hopes of providing jobs to those who have no education and no work. The new expansion of the College Achievement Plan will extend the free tuition to Opportunity Youth as well, providing them with access to a top-rated education including 49 different programs at no cost at all.
The introduction of this new plan has given hope to those who wish to provide education to all Americans in every financial situation. Many companies, such as Walmart and McDonalds, have created similar free-tuition packages for employees, but Starbucks is the first to allow all employees the chance to pursue their passions in a wide variety of bachelor programs.
Starbucks plans to invest around $250 million in order to help at least 25,000 students graduate in 10 years. But they aren’t in it alone—ASU plans to provide as much financial aid to the College Achievement Plan as possible so Starbucks won’t have to shoulder the cost burden alone.
Together, Starbucks and ASU Online are making it possible for tens of thousands of Americans worldwide to receive their dream education without worrying about the cost. This program is a massive step forward towards educating all Americans, and if all goes as planned, it could very well be the next breakthrough towards strengthening the economy and providing people with the education needed to improve the workforce.