14 DAY TRIAL // This past June 15, American global coffee company and coffeehouse chain Starbucks announced that it was ready and willing to pay full college tuition for thousands of its workers.
Whether the Seattle-based coffee giant woke up feeling so generous after going through an Ebenezer Scrooge-like eye-opening experience remains a mystery, and it will likely remain one for quite a while.
In a press release on the matter at hand, the coffee company and coffeehouse chain explains that this latest initiative is dubbed the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, and that it is a first-of-its kind type of program.
The College Achievement Plan is the result of a collaboration with the Arizona State University in the United States, and it promises to help thousands of part-time and full-time employees complete a bachelor's degree.
By the looks of it, the coffee giant chose to work with the Arizona State University on this initiative due to the fact that this institution and research center currently runs one of the country's largest online degree programs.
Since folks who wish to sign up for the Starbucks Plan will have to complete their bachelor's degree not by actually going to classes but online, it makes sense that the coffee company has chosen to collaborate with the Arizona State University.
As cool as the idea of having the coffeehouse chain you work for pay for you to complete your bachelor's degree might sound, it need be said that people who wish to enter the program would have to expect some upfront costs.
This is because Starbucks will not exactly pay for the classes their employees will take, hopefully also successfully complete, but will instead settle for merely reimbursing tuition costs, The Washington Post explains.
“Partners admitted to ASU as a junior or senior will earn full tuition reimbursement for each semester of full-time coursework they complete toward a bachelor’s degree,” Starbucks writes in a press release on the matter at hand.
“Freshmen and sophomores will be eligible for a partial tuition scholarship and need-based financial aid for two years of full-time study. Partners will have no commitment to remain at the company past graduation,” it adds.
It is estimated that, all in all, some 135,000 Starbucks employees stand to be accepted into this program. Details concerning eligibility are available on the official website for the Starbucks College Achievement Plan.
Commenting on the company's decision to implement this program, Starbucks Chief Howard Schultz said, “Supporting our partners’ [employees'] ambitions is the very best investment Starbucks can make. Everyone who works as hard as our partners do should have the opportunity to complete college, while balancing work, school and their personal lives.”