Serving fast food could help you earn a college degree

Tacos and tuition discounts are on the menu for thousands of fast-food workers around the country.

Taco Bell, which has numerous locations in the Bradenton area, recently joined other major companies in partnering with Guild Education, a March news release said.

The Colorado-based company offers a path to online degree programs, academic advising and financial assistance.

Following similar moves by companies such as Lowe’s and Chipotle, Taco Bell announced that all of its more than 200,000 employees now have the option to sign up for educational opportunities.

The company surveyed its employees and found education support was among their top priorities, said Frank Tucker, the company’s global chief people officer, in the news release.

“The barriers to achieving their education goals were time, money and support,” he said.

By offering education benefits, the companies hope to keep their workforce and attract new employees. Taco Bell said it retained 98 percent of the employees who took part in a six-month pilot program — a 34 percent increase over employees who were not enrolled in a degree or course through Guild.

Corporate and franchise Taco Bell employees can use the opportunity to pursue a master’s or bachelor’s degree through Guild’s partnership with about 80 online universities and learning providers.

Employees can also apply for GED classes, vocational courses and other language or certification programs.

The news release also touted tuition discounts of between five and 20 percent. Corporate stores and participating franchises will offer each employee up to $5,250 in tuition assistance each calendar year, and all employees have access to a personal advisor.

“Taco Bell doesn’t require employees to put in any time before signing up for these new Guide benefits, so employees can take advantage of the education benefits on day one,” the release said.

Much like Taco Bell, other companies are also using the program to offer transferable credit hours for on-the-job-training. In a news release announcing its own Guild partnership in 2016, Chipotle said more than 60,000 employees can earn dozens of credit hours in crew and managerial positions.

“Attracting and retaining teams of top performers is one of the key drivers of our business, and we are always looking for ways to enhance the benefits we offer to help us do that,” said Monty Moran, co-chief executive officer at Chipotle, in the news release.

On March 1, Lowe’s kicked off its “Track to the Trades” pilot program in four states outside of Florida.

The program, which includes a Guild partnership, will offer employees upfront tuition to get certified in a trade skill, along with academic coaching and opportunities for a pre-apprenticeship. The program will extend to all full-time and part-time employees across the nation by the end of 2018, a news release said.

“The initiative comes at a time when the skilled trade industry is experiencing a rapidly declining workforce,” the release stated.

The ridesharing company Lyft became Guild’s first partnership in the gig economy, a term that usually describes industries with temporary positions and high turnover.

Guild said during the announcement that education is more important than ever, especially among employees who value savings and flexibility.

“An increasing number of post-recession jobs require a college education, but at the same time, student loan debt has risen to $1.3 trillion,” said Rachel Carlson, Guild’s co-founder and CEO, in a 2017 news release.

This story was originally published March 29, 2018 at 1:55 PM with the headline "Serving fast food could help you earn a college degree."