News

McDonald's intros career-finding app for employees

Image: McDonald's

January 22, 2020

McDonald's today announced the launch of a new career exploration mobile application called Archways to Careers that will help restaurant employees nationwide maximize education benefits and take the next step in their professional journey — whether at McDonald's or elsewhere, a news release said.  

McDonald's worked with the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning or CAEL and coaching organization, InsideTrack, to offer all restaurant employees a real-time career advising tool that connects with InsideTrack's advisors to help workers create a path to their desired careers. The initiative builds on the brands Archways to Opportunity program that helps employees with learning English, earning a high school diploma and obtaining tuition assistance up to $3,000 after 90 days employment.

Through the new app, employees can see how skills they acquire on the job as well as their own strengths can work with education and other opportunities to put them on the track to a career. The app provides interest assessments, career exploration and access to an advisor to make their own career plan. 

The app builds on insights from the brand's previously released Workforce Preparedness Study which identified top industries McDonald's employees aspire to, including arts/entertainment, technology, entrepreneurship, healthcare and restaurant/foodservice. It also gives users the chance to see what applicable opportunities in those areas are available at the brand systemwide. 

"As the number of working learners who need to pursue more education over a longer lifespan grows, forward-thinking employers like McDonald's and their franchisees are always growing their future managers from within," CAEL President Marie Cini said in the release. "That's why CAEL champions the adult working learner and partners with people-first companies like McDonald's that understand the value of creating education opportunities for people wherever they are on their academic journey."

The nearly five-year-old Archways to Opportunity program has awarded $90 million in tuition assistance and supported 50,000 restaurant employees, McDonald's said.