As part of a growing trend among businesses seeking to attract and retain dedicated talent, Dollar General announced that employees will be eligible for a tuition reimbursement program covering all or much of the cost of attending an online degree program at Bellevue University.
Immediate family members of employees are also eligible for up to $2,625 as well, the corporation said. To qualify, employees must maintain full-time student status throughout the degree program.
The tuition reimbursement is good every year and can cover up to $32,000 over the course of a four-year bachelor’s degree, according to the company. The average annual cost of attendance at Bellevue is $8,770, federal data show.
Experts say the initiative — announced earlier this week — adds to the number of commercial retailers, restaurant chains and the like that are offering to cover the cost of education for their employees in order to attract better candidates who are interested in moving up within the company.
For instance, last month, Chipotle Mexican Grill added the University of Denver to the various colleges and universities that employees can access through a partnership with Guild Education, an organization that helps employers offer education benefits to their employees.
Steve Ells, founder, chairman and CEO at Chipotle, has stated that the company is “seeing strong results in terms of enrollment, retention, and internal promotions among employees who are participating in the program.”
