FCA US, Strayer University Offering Dealership Employees Free College Education
FCA US dealerships in the Southeastern United States are among the first to offer free college scholarships to their employees.
The program – Degrees@Work – is a partnership between FCA US and private for-profit institution Strayer University. It will offer associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 40 fields of study to any employee interested, Automotive News reports.
The partnership deal is voluntary for all dealerships in the U.S., with those in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Alabama and Tennessee offering the tuition-free education program beginning Monday. The remaining eight U.S. dealership regions will follow in Q3 2015.
In addition to the standard curriculum offered through its online and on-campus education offerings, Strayer will incorporate industry- and dealership-related studies into the coursework with help from FCA. Credits for previous coursework and/or life experience will also be offered through the program.
In return for the partnership, FCA US aims to stem the tide of turnover at its dealerships by attracting and retaining qualified employees who wouldn’t otherwise consider working in the industry. FCA dealer training director John Fox says Degrees@Work’s promise of a no-cost, no-debt college degree – normally a $42,000-$50,000 investment at Strayer; the FCA program pays less per degree – would attract “the best and brightest” to FCA’s dealership network, improving both retention rates and customer service.
[Photo credit: p_d_s/ Flickr/ CC BY-ND 2.0]
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Educate FCA dealer employees so they stay with FCA dealers longer......... Alex, what is an oxymoron?
Via Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For-profit_higher_education_in_the_United_States "Strayer University, which reports its loan repayment rate to be 55%, only has a repayment rate of roughly 25%,[142] according to data released by the U.S. Department of Education on August 13, 2010.[143] The low repayment rate makes Strayer ineligible for receiving further Title IV funds in accordance with new "Gainful employment" regulations brought forth by the Department of Education, which are to take effect on July 2011"
There is a tendency to try to offer everything online to cut costs - doctors on line, 'college' educations... the quality of any interaction not done in person is not at all the same, and the final product is either cheapened or useless. As an employer interviewing job candidates, would you be impressed by a Strayer or University of Phoenix certificate earned by a car salesman using a smart phone?
The problem with online is what if you are a Fiat salesperson and you want to go to college to be an actor? You need to have acting classes on a stage and how can you do that online? Or do you recite your lines into an I-phone?