KFC Foundation’s various charitable programs are funded by several initiatives such as its at-register Round-Up donations and the Annual Franchise Donation Program, in which a portion of every case of KFC “Secret Recipe Fries” sold at participating restaurants goes to the KFC Foundation.
"Talent exists within every individual but the keys to unlock it can vary for each person," said Scott Pulsipher, President of Western Governors University."Tens of thousands of KFC restaurant employees across the country can now further advance their lives, and that of their families and communities, by accessing and completing education programs that are relevant and personalized.
Although different in its funding mechanism and education provider approach than many other corporation-provided college benefit programs, the KFC Foundation-WGU partnership joins anof major companies extending generous educational opportunities to hourly workers and salaried employees. Such programs are also seeing an increase in the percentage of employees who participate.
The expansion of “free college” benefits for employees comes at the same time that several major employers are dropping the requirement of a college degree for certain entry-level positions. It’s an interesting strategy to deal with labor market pressures - lower the educational requirements for jobs but then use educational benefits as an incentive to retain workers.
The new WGU tuition program comes in addition to the KFC Foundation’s provision of scholarships worth as much as $20,000 for eligible restaurant employees to attend the two- or four-year college, trade school or graduate school of their choice.
Way to go, KFC! 👏