UNC Greensboro and Amazon today announced a new partnership to offer free college tuition to their more than 750,000 hourly employees in the United States.
UNCG is the first institution in the Piedmont Triad region to partner with Amazon on the Career Choice program.
The largest state university in central NC, UNCG has over 175 majors and concentrations at the undergraduate level with 13 programs fully online, all of which are available to Amazon Career Choice students. For more information on course options, visit the Amazon Career Choice webpage go.uncg.edu/amazon.
Amazon team members can take advantage of over 1,000 online courses – UNCG is nationally ranked for the Best Online Bachelor’s Programs by U.S. News & World Report, along with the No. 1 Online MBA Program in NC, among other academic accolades.
“UNCG is committed to fueling the engine of prosperity in our state through education,” said Chancellor Gilliam. “The ease of access and academic excellence we offer is essential to train the future workforce. Like Amazon, we understand that timely delivery is critical – with this exciting partnership, we are transforming the way we provide coursework to meet students where they are and opening opportunities to them.”
Launched in 2012, Amazon’s Career Choice program is an education benefit that empowers Amazon employees to learn new skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere. Amazon provides a variety of education and upskilling opportunities, including full college tuition, industry certifications designed to lead to in-demand jobs, and foundational skills such as English language proficiency, high school diplomas, and GEDs.
In the U.S., Amazon is investing $1.2 billion to upskill more than 300,000 Amazon employees by 2025 to help move them into higher-paying, in-demand jobs. UNCG is uniquely positioned to prepare Amazon employees for high-paying future careers with a world-class School of Nursing, School of Education, and the Bryan School of Business & Economics, among others. The demand for teachers, nurses and IT professionals continues to grow, with a 95% increase in demand for IT jobs alone in Guilford County.
Amazon has four active facilities and more than 1,400 associates in Guilford County, including the 1 million-square-foot fulfillment center in Kernersville. Amazon associates are eligible for the Career Choice program after 90 days of employment.
“UNCG is committed to fueling the engine of prosperity in our state through education. With this exciting partnership, we are transforming the way we provide coursework to meet students where they are and opening opportunities to them.”
Chancellor Gilliam
Photography by Grant Evan Gilliard, University Communications
