McDonald’s has launched a new mobile app for employees that offers real-time career advice.
The app connects restaurant employees to career advisers, allowing them to assess the skills they are developing, understand their strengths, find local education, and link to growth opportunities in a variety of careers. The app was created in partnership with the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning and InsideTrack, a national success coaching organization.
“Our crew was looking for guidance, especially around exploring career paths and getting a better understanding of the education they would need and the skills they would need for specific job roles,” says Rob Lauber, chief learning officer at McDonald’s. “We recognize this as a gap that our employees say that they are not getting elsewhere.”
The mobile Archways to Careers app expands on an existing McDonald’s program that enables restaurant employees to learn English language skills, earn a high school diploma and even receive upfront college tuition assistance up to $3,000, after just 90 days of employment.
The app offers an interest assessment and career exploration experience that help employees identify potential careers and the opportunity to work with an adviser to plan their education. The content in the app builds on insights from a previously released Workforce Preparedness Study, which identified top industries employees aspire to be in.
“McDonald’s is uniquely positioned because for many people in our system, this is their first job,” Lauber says. “We’re trying to help people answer the question of ‘Where does this lead me? and What is my next job?’”
McDonald’s isn’t the only employer that offers workers a chance to enhance their skills and education. The Walt Disney Company launched
Employers understand that education is a priority for workers. More than half (56%) of employers offer tuition assistance for employees pursuing degrees, according to the Society for Human Resource Management.
“The goal here is really to address the full spectrum of opportunity for people, and to help them understand where their opportunities lie, and really uncover where their passions lie,” Lauber says. “This is part of an employee’s ability to learn and earn on their way to a career.”
