Papa John’s will make college a lot more affordable for its 20,000 corporate employees under a new benefit initiative.
The chain will cover 100 percent of corporate employees’ tuition if they pursue their bachelor’s and/or master’s degrees online through Purdue University Global, the company announced on Friday. To qualify for the benefit, employees only need to have worked at the company for 90 days at 20-plus hours per week.
Papa John’s 70,000 franchise team members can receive significant tuition and fee reductions at Purdue Global as well as waived application fees and savings on textbooks.
The goal of the program is to help employees expand their skill sets and advance their careers, whether they stay on at Papa John’s or not, the company said.
“People are our most important ingredients, and we are always looking for new ways to make Papa John’s a better place to work,” Steve Ritchie, president and CEO of Papa John’s, said in a statement. “We believe this is a truly unique tuition program in our industry.”
Ritchie began as an hourly employee at Papa John’s before reaching the corporate pinnacle, the company noted, as did franchise owner Nadeem Bajwa.
Godfather's Pizza last year announced its own tuition benefit program for employees. Part-time and full-time employees can receive up to $5,250 per year when they pursue an online degree at Bellevue University.