TAMPA, Fla. — Amazon employees looking to expand their education will soon be able to do so on the company's dime.
Amazon announced Thursday that it will partner with 140 colleges and universities nationwide to provide fully-funded tuition for 750,000 hourly employees. Nine of those colleges are right here in Florida.
Florida-based employees will have access to education from the University of Florida, Florida International University, University of Central Florida, Miami Dade College, Hillsborough Community College, Polk State College, Valencia College, Florida State College at Jacksonville and several national online universities.
The company says it is also partnering with several organizations to provide employees with GED preparation courses, high school completion courses and English language proficiency programs at no cost to them.
The partnership is part of Amazon's Career Choice initiative, which supports the company's pledge to "upskill more than 300,000 Amazon employees by 2025."
“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,” Alicia Boler Davis, senior vice president of global customer fulfillment, wrote in a release.
“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.”
Employees are eligible to participate in the program every year they work at Amazon and after 90 days of employment.