The operator of the United States' fourth-largest pizza delivery restaurant chain, Papa John's International, is planning to further extend its recruitment campaign to meet the continually growing demand for its food delivery service amid the prolonged coronavirus pandemic. The company stated that it had already hired an additional 20,000 team members, most of whom had lost their jobs due to the nationwide store closures and lockdowns after the onset of the health crisis.
Papa John's International revealed that it plans to hire another batch of workers – at least 10,000 additional team members – over the coming next few months. Apart from its hiring push, the company stated that it will be expanding its college tuition benefit program, called Dough & Degrees, for all of its eligible employees.
The restaurant franchise operator added that it had partnered with a number of universities, including the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) and Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), which have agreed to support its cause. As part of the program, all of the company's eligible workers and their immediate family members can take advantage of college tuition discounts.
Both SNHU and the UMGC are offering their courses to the company's employees at an average rate of about $2,500 per semester, significantly lower than the cost of typical college degrees. Eligible employees can also join other scholarship programs, which will further reduce costs.
Papa John's chief people and diversity officer, Marvin Boakye, said in a statement that the goal of the program is to provide added benefits to all of its team members. This means that not only will employees be given a job but they will also be given the opportunity to grow personally and professionally. Boakye added that the pandemic has significantly changed the business landscape and the company has chosen to do its part by providing people with the chance to earn both a paycheck and a college degree.
Under the program, Papa John's employees can choose between a variety of graduate and undergraduate programs encompassing different courses and fields. Almost all of the schoolwork will be done online through each school's respective digital programs. This makes it very convenient and safer for students to earn their degrees while they work at the same time.
In a separate statement, UMGC President Javier Miyares expressed his enthusiasm over the partnership. He stated that the school was pleased to be part of Papa John's efforts to support the college education of its employees to further develop their specific skill sets. SNHU Workforce Partnerships Senior Vice President and Executive Director, Sarah Normand, echoed the sentiments and added that the opportunity should prove to be invaluable to Papa John's thousands of employees.
