A new incentive has started to become popular across companies desperate to attract new talent: free college.
Most recently, pizza chain Papa John’s has partnered with University of Maryland Global Campus, Purdue Global, University of Phoenix, Colorado Tech and Western Governors University to provide free education, as well as support for certification programs for part-time and full-time workers.
“Wherever you can differentiate yourself is pretty critical,” said Marvin Boakye, chief people and diversity officer at Papa John’s.
The ongoing labor shortage has had a significant impact on lower-paying jobs, but by providing a path for workers to upskill and advance their careers, employees are more likely to stay on at that company.
In fact, 48% of companies say that they have started offering some form of undergraduate or graduate tuition support.
The concept of supporting a workers’ educational endeavors isn’t new, but it has mostly been reserved for white-collar workers.
By expanding these benefits to service industry employees, companies have a better chance to compete in the war for talent.
