Tyson Foods of Springdale will invest $60 million over four years to cover all tuition, books and fees for 120,000 eligible employees in the United States, the company announced Monday.
Starting this summer, those employees can attain their master’s, undergraduate and associate degrees, career certificates and literacy and technology fundamentals for free.
To accomplish this, Tyson is partnering with Guild Education, a company headquartered in Denver, to expand its onsite adult education program called Upward Academy to include access to more than 175 programs from over 35 universities and learning providers. The academy is offered at 46 Tyson locations; an online curriculum will be added to give employees at every Tyson location in the country to learning programs.
John Tyson, executive vice president and chief sustainability officer, said in a news release “Providing equity and opportunity to every single member of our team is part of our goal to make Tyson the most sought-after place to work. Providing education benefits will continue to lay a foundation for personal and career growth for our team members.”
An online portal will provide Tyson employees access to programming around:
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Foundation learning and core skills
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Supply chain and operations
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Agriculture
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Manufacturing and automation
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Sustainability
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English learning language
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High school completion
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Career readiness
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Frontline management
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Leadership and management
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Technology
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Business
This announcement follows similar investments, including $1 million the company is using to help workers obtain U.S. citizenship and approximately $50 million in bonuses paid to frontline and hourly employees last year.
Tyson Foods has also said it paid more than $500 million in wage increases and bonuses last year.
In addition, the company is piloting subsidized and onsite childcare and seven free, near-site health centers.
A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the number of eligible employees.
