Starbucks in the US is offering to pay university tuition fees for its staff.
Employees in the US can undertake a bachelor’s degree through online courses at Arizona State University.
The “Starbucks College Achievement Plan” with Arizona State University started last June. At first it aimed to help those in their final two years of working for their degrees. Now it is being extended to cover all the years of undergraduate tuition.
The annual fee for online courses at the university can exceed $10,000 (£6,700). The Seattle-based company’s education benefits programme covers this entire cost.
Some 2,000 staff have enrolled since June. Starbucks believes it will fund at least 25,000 employees over the coming 10 years.
To be eligible, employees have to work at least 20 hours a week, which covers about 80% of Starbuck’s 180,000 US staff. There is no obligation to stay with the company once the students have graduated.
"The unfortunate reality is that too many Americans can no longer afford a college degree, particularly disadvantaged young people, and others are saddled with burdensome education debt," said Howard Schultz, chairman and CEO of Starbucks. "We're stronger as a nation when everyone is afforded a pathway to success."
Starbucks said that 70% of its workers do not have a bachelor's degree.
The company said it has no plans to extend the programme to the UK, but KFC and McDonalds both offer degree courses in the UK.
