Amazon to partner with 5 Va. schools for employee education

Amazon.com Inc. will partner with more than 140 colleges and universities, including five in Virginia, to provide fully-funded college tuition for its hourly employees, the company announced Thursday.

In the Richmond area, Amazon employees will have access to degrees at Virginia Commonwealth University, Reynolds Community College and John Tyler Community College. In Northern Virginia, they can go to Lord Fairfax Community College and Northern Virginia Community College. The courses can be taken in person, online or on-site at many of the company’s distribution centers.

It’s all part of Amazon’s Career Choice program, which is open to employees after 90 days of employment. They can pursue a bachelor’s degree, earn industry certifications and build other skills. The e-commerce giant made a pledge to commit more than $1.2 billion to provide free education and skills training opportunities to 300,000 of its employees by 2025.

“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,” Alicia Boler Davis, senior vice president of global customer fulfillment, said in a statement. “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.”

Amazon has more than 30,000 full- and part-time workers in Virginia. It has 30 fulfillment, sorting and delivery stations across the state. Across the country, Amazon has more than 750,000 employees.