KINGSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE IS ONE OF EIGHT CUNY COLLEGES IN THE AMAZON PARTNERSHIP
THIS NEW COLLABORATION IS PART OF CUNY’S CAREER SUCCESS INITIATIVE TO HELP
NEW YORKERS LAUNCH AND ADVANCE THEIR CAREERS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EMPLOYERS
CAREER CHOICE IS PART OF AMAZON’S UPSKILLING 2025PLEDGE – A $1.2 BILLION COMMITMENT
TO UPSKILL MORE THAN 300,000 AMAZON EMPLOYEES BY 2025
NEW YORK – March 3, 2022 – Kingsborough Community College (KCC) will be part of a new partnership between the City University of New York and Amazon which allows the company’s hourly employees to attend college to further their career opportunities. Starting in January 2022, through Amazon’s Career Choice program, the company will provide an annual benefit covering tuition and select fees for all qualifying hourly employees accepted into Kingsborough Community College.
Starting with an initial focus on associate and bachelor’s degrees, the initiative is open to any major of study at eight CUNY colleges in all five New York City boroughs. CUNY’s partnership, the first for Amazon in New York State, is part of a national commitment by Amazon to provide educational and upskilling opportunities to more than 750,000 hourly employees at four national and more than 140 local universities and colleges.
“This important partnership is a powerful example of how the private sector can join forces with the City University of New York to advance workers’ education, promote economic mobility and help rebuild New York City’s post-pandemic economy all at the same time,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “We thank Amazon for its commitment to higher education for its employees and look forward to working with them while expanding CUNY’s role as one of the nation’s premier engines of economic opportunity.”
“Our partnership with Amazon furthers our commitment to workforce development in New York City. A liberal arts education will provide Amazon workers with a solid, well-rounded foundation and the tools for a lifetime of learning,” noted Dr. Claudia Schrader, president of Kingsborough Community College. “In addition to the technical knowledge they’ll gain in their chosen majors, they will also graduate with communication, interpersonal, leadership, and problem-solving skills, all of which are highly sought after by employers.”
Through this collaboration, New York City-based Amazon workers will have access to over 500 associate and bachelor’s CUNY degree programs – including over 50 programs of study at KCC – offered online or in-person, including in-demand fields such as technology, healthcare, and green energy. This initial cohort of CUNY colleges represent a footprint in each borough to provide locations in physical proximity to Amazon operations.
“At Amazon, we’re committed to empowering our employees by providing them access to the education and training they need to grow their careers, whether that’s with us or elsewhere,” said Carley Graham Garcia, Head of Community Affairs at Amazon in New York. “We’re thrilled today to be partnering with CUNY on our Career Choice program to give our employees access to pursue the education path that fits their passions. Whether employees are looking to finish their Bachelor’s degree at CUNY or build on their foundational skills of English proficiency or GED preparation with our national partners, we’re prepared to meet our employees wherever they are on their educational journey.”
The other CUNY colleges participating in the program include: Bronx Community College, the Borough of Manhattan Community College, the City College of New York, the College of Staten Island, the CUNY School of Professional Studies, LaGuardia Community College and Queens College. For more information, visit bit.ly/CUNY_amazon.
Career training is just one of the industry-leading benefits that Amazon offers to its team. In addition, Amazon pays employees an average starting wage of $18 per hour, which is more than double the federal minimum wage, and provides comprehensive health benefits, paid time off, up to 20 weeks fully paid parental leave, and additional benefits for employees and their families.
Since launching in 2012, Career Choice has helped provide education for more than 50,000 employees. As of this announcement, Amazon’s Career Choice program works with more than 180 education providers across the U.S., which along with colleges and universities includes partners providing industry certifications, English language proficiency, high school completion programs, and college preparatory courses. Career Choice is one of nine free skills training and education programs that Amazon offers to its employees as part of its Upskilling 2025 pledge.
To learn more about Career Choice, visit: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/career-choice
To learn more about Amazon’s $1.2 billion investment to upskill 300,000 employees in the next four years, visit: http://aboutamazon.com/upskilling2025
Jobs are available across New York. Interested candidates can see all open positions at https://hiring.amazon.com/.
To learn more about CUNY Career Success Initiatives, please visit: https://www.cuny.edu/about/administration/offices/workforce/