Chipotle Paying for Employees’ Degree Programs

Chipotle will be paying for its employees to get a technology or business degree. The new program will be launching next month and is acting as the restaurant chain's latest attempt to attract and hang on to talent.

Employees who have been at the company for at least 120 days and work a minimum of 15 hours per week can choose from 75 different degree programs. The employees would stay with Chipotle while in school and the company asks them to remain there for at least six months after they earn their degrees.

Chipotle will be covering the costs 100 percent in full upfront for the 75 different programs. This is thanks to their partnership with Guild Education, which is one of the leading education benefits companies in the country. Chipotle says that they are giving their employees the opportunity to gain the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in the constantly evolving 21st-century job market.

Marissa Andrada, Chief People Officer at Chipotle says "Chipotle recognizes that financial barriers can be one of the biggest obstacles that impede our employees from achieving their fullest potential." The company is proud to be able to offer this opportunity to its employees.

Eligible employees will have the option of pursuing these degrees from some of the leading accredited, nonprofit universities. These include The University of Arizona, Bellevue University, Brandman University, Southern New Hampshire University, and Wilmington University. The company is also offering an Exiting Tuition Reimbursement Program. This will offer eligible employees the opportunity to be reimbursed up to $5,250 a year at the school of their choice.

Last year, Chipotle was able to promote more than 13,000 of its employees and the company wants to expand that number and continue to invest in its people with industry-leading benefits such as these programs.