Amazon Announces Partnerships with Universities and Colleges in Florida to Fully Fund Tuition for Local Hourly Employees

Amazon employees in the U.S. will benefit from new Career Choice partnerships with more than 140 Universities and Colleges including nine colleges and universities in Florida

Employees in Florida will have access to local universities including University of Florida, Florida International University, University of Central Florida, Miami Dade College, Hillsborough Community College, Polk State College, Valencia College and Florida State College at Jacksonville, as well as national non-profit online providers Southern New Hampshire University, Colorado State University – Global, Western Governors University, and National University

Amazon also partners with GEDWorks and Smart Horizons to provide employees with free high school completion and GED preparation, Voxy EnGen and goFLUENT to provide English language proficiency training, and Outlier to provide college preparation courses

Career Choice is part of Amazon’s Upskilling 2025 pledge – a $1.2 billion commitment to upskill more than 300,000 Amazon employees by 2025

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Amazon announced more than 140 colleges and universities that the company will partner with to provide fully funded college tuition to their more than 750,000 hourly employees. In Florida, employees will have access to education from Florida International University, Hillsborough Community College, Miami Dade College, Polk State College, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, Valencia College and Florida State College at Jacksonville as well as national online education providers including Southern New Hampshire University, Colorado State University – Global, Western Governors University, and National University. Amazon will also partner with GEDWorks and Smart Horizons to provide employees with free high school completion and GED preparation, Voxy EnGen and goFLUENT to provide English language proficiency training, and Outlier to provide college preparation courses.

These new partnerships are part of Amazon’s continued investment in its Career Choice program, which now offers fully-funded college tuition, allows employees to participate every year they work at Amazon, and gives them eligibility after only 90 days of employment. Through Career Choice, employees can pursue a Bachelor’s degree, earn industry certifications leading to in-demand jobs, and build skills through English language proficiency, and high school completion programs.

With Career Choice, Amazon works to make it easy for employees to advance their education—even building classrooms on-site in many of its buildings. Employees can take classes online, in-person at a local university, or on-site in one of the over 110 Career Choice classrooms located in fulfillment centers in 37 states. Since launching in 2012, Career Choice has helped provide education for more than 50,000 employees. As of this announcement, Amazon’s Career Choice program works with more than 180 education providers across the U.S., which along with colleges and universities includes partners providing industry certifications, English language proficiency, and high school completion programs. Career Choice is one of nine free skills training and education programs that Amazon offers to its employees as part of its Upskilling 2025 pledge.

Career training is just one of the industry-leading benefits that Amazon offers to its team. In addition, Amazon pays employees an average starting wage of $18 per hour, which is more than double the federal minimum wage, and provides comprehensive health benefits, paid time off, up to 20 weeks fully paid parental leave, and additional benefits for employees and their families.

To learn more about Career Choice, visit: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/career-choice

To learn more about Amazon’s $1.2 billion investment to upskill 300,000 employees in the next four years, visit: http://aboutamazon.com/upskilling2025

Jobs are available across Florida. Interested candidates can see all open positions at https://hiring.amazon.com/

Quotes and statements:

“As an Amazon employee, I’m excited to participate in the enhanced Career Choice program,” said Francisco Ortega, Fulfillment Employee at Amazon’s Opa-locka facility. “When I heard Amazon was expanding Career Choice, I knew this would be a great opportunity for me to learn new skills and ultimately grow to the next level in my career.”

“CareerSource Florida commends Amazon for strengthening our workforce and communities through its Career Choice program, opening the doors to a great education for thousands of employees across the state,” said CareerSource Florida President and CEO Michelle Dennard. “The CareerSource Florida network is honored to assist Amazon’s Florida facilities with recruiting, hiring and training, and we are grateful for Amazon’s focus on increased access to and equity in educational opportunities for all Floridians.”

“By covering University of Florida Online tuition and fees for their admitted workers, Amazon is giving its employees an opportunity to earn a degree from a top-tier university in programs that are designed to provide flexibility for people in all stages of life,” said Dr. Joe Glover, University of Florida’s provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “By removing the barrier of cost, this partnership will give Floridians another avenue to advance their careers and prosper in a fast-growing workforce.”

“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,” said Alicia Boler Davis, Senior Vice President of Global Customer Fulfillment. “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.”

“We are excited to again partner with Amazon and provide this amazing opportunity to help its employees obtain new skills that lead to economic mobility,” said Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega. “This is another step toward fulfilling our commitment of training tomorrow’s workforce and meeting the demand for local talent.”

“Florida State College at Jacksonville is proud to partner with Amazon in their efforts to support employees’ future successes through education and training for high-demand careers,” said College President John Avendano, Ph.D. “We are honored to work alongside many local, national and global companies like Amazon to deliver accessible, affordable education that is aligned with industry demand and tailored to meet the unique learning needs of working adults.”

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.