Disney Endorses Online Education for Employees

As of this week, Disney has announced it will offer to pay tuition for all hourly employees looking to pursue college and master’s degrees, high school equivalency, English-language learning as well as vocational training. While the program boasts a network of schools – it will be limited to online learning during its introductory year.

With an investment of $50 million dollars, the program “Disney Aspire” will not only reimburse 100% of tuition up front but it will also reimburse books, materials and application fees, allowing students to apply now and start as early as the fall semester.

This program will be administered by Guild Education whom also run Walmart’s education program. On their site, Guild promises a 208% return on investment for every $1 spend on Education Benefits as well as a 98% employee retention rate for employees enrolled in Guild.

So what are the top schools within Guild’s program? The main programs are offered through Bellevue University, Brandman University, Wilmington University, and University of Denver.

These programs reinforce the upward trends in both Online Education as well as the increasing value of employee retention.

What are some initiatives your company employs to increase retention as well as invest in their employees? Or on the flip side –what do you as an employee value and look for when you search for jobs?