How McDonald's Uses Upskilling To Invest in Its Workforce

Forbes

13-05-2025

Help wanted.
Whether you live on the East Coast, West Coast, or somewhere in between, chances are your local McDonald's is hiring. In one of its biggest hiring blitzes in years, the Golden Arches and its franchisees are planning to hire up to 375,000 new workers nationwide this summer.
That means more meaningful job opportunities in thousands of local communities. It also creates a chance for restaurant employees to build their version of the American Dream by tapping into McDonald's educational and developmental benefits like Archways to Opportunity. The program has provided access to education for more than 90,000 restaurant employees, awarding more than $240 million in high school and college tuition assistance over the past decade.
Archways to Opportunity participant Charletta Thomas. By participating in McDonald's Archways to Opportunity program, franchise crew members can earn a paycheck while building the skills to achieve their own personal American Dream.
Archways to Opportunity — which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year — offers the flexibility, guidance, and confidence McDonald's crew members need to make their dreams a reality while still earning a paycheck. Participants can use the program to earn a high school diploma, work toward a college degree, enroll in training and certificate programs at accredited schools, or improve their English skills.
And the program has helped the company, too — by developing a skilled workforce and retaining loyal and engaged employees.
When Life Gets in the Way, Archways to Opportunity Offers Financing, Flexibility, and More
In a world where limited pathways to training and education can inhibit economic mobility and access to fulfilling careers, McDonald's and its participating franchisees recognize the need to step up and offer solutions.
Before launching the Archways to Opportunity program in 2015, the company conducted a survey to understand restaurant employees' goals and aspirations. Some crew members said they wanted to finish high school, while others wanted to pursue further education and training or explore career opportunities in various industries. But a few things were keeping restaurant employees from their dreams, including money, time, and lack of information about their options.
From those conversations, Archways to Opportunity was born.
'For the last decade, we've seen the benefits of Archways to Opportunity, with crew members growing their career within the Golden Arches or following a passion in another field,' said Lisa Schumacher, director of education strategies and workforce policy at McDonald's. 'As demonstrated by the fact that 1 in 8 Americans have worked at a McDonald's, our sheer size and reach gives us and franchisees the unique opportunity to upskill restaurant employees and change the conversation around the kind of impact a first job can make on someone's future. McDonald's crew members are given the tools to develop the foundational skills that they can take with them anywhere.'
McDonald's golden arches are a mainstay in communities around the country. The company's Archways to Opportunities program invests in people by providing access to support for education, training, and career coaching.
This innovative model of tuition assistance helps crew members pay for college courses at a two- or four-year public or private college or university, a business, technical or vocational school, or graduate or postgraduate school. McDonald's crew members and their families can also access free education and career coaching.
'Our biggest differentiator is the power of choice we give restaurant employees,' added Schumacher, who helped create and launch the program. 'While we have specific no- and low-cost degree partners, such as Colorado Technical University and Western Governors University, as well as a partner [Career Online High School] employees can leverage to get their high school diploma, we recognize that many want to pursue education most when it is in their backyard.'
For Crew Members, Archways Unlocks Potential by Unleashing Confidence
In anticipation of the 10th anniversary of Archways to Opportunity, McDonald's conducted a new survey of more than 500 former and current participants to better understand how the program had changed their lives by unlocking new opportunities for them and their families.
Nearly half of participants who earned a college degree were first-generation college students. Two-thirds said the program helped them discover a new passion or interest, while 3 in 4 said the program helped them pursue a career in a new field or industry, such as health care, education, or business.
Just as important, Archways participants also said the program restored their belief in themselves. Nearly 9 in 10 participants who were surveyed said the program gave them greater confidence in their skills and abilities. That is due, in large part, to the overwhelming support of McDonald's franchisees. These franchisees not only invest time and money to ensure educational and training resources are available — they also provide flexibility and support that allows participants to thrive.
McDonald's Archways to Opportunities participants say the program helped them gain confidence, find new passions and interests, and pursue fulfilling careers.
'The encouragement, having someone to believe in [me] did more for me than I can explain,' said Danielle Moody, a former McDonald's crew member from Tucson, Arizona. Danielle, who used support from Archways to Opportunity to help pursue her career dreams, is now an environmental engineer. 'It was more than a check to pay for my diploma. It was a team of people who were rooting for me.'
Aaron Stout, who used Archways to help pay for a college degree and to determine what major was right for him, agrees. 'It changed my life,' he said. 'Thanks to Archways, I'm now launched into a successful corporate career.'
Stout said that when he became a general manager, he used Archways as a retention tool. The program also helped Stout get a certification in human resources management. He is now a compensation analyst at a technology company but continues to share his story and explain how working at McDonald's can help individuals find and prepare for their dream career.
Archways to Opportunity Inspires Loyalty and Helps Recruitment Efforts
In an industry with such high turnover, McDonald's does not worry that offering an on-ramp to training and education will cause workers to leave.
According to the McDonald's survey of Archways participants, 3 in 4 stayed longer at McDonald's because of the program, with more than half saying they stayed more than two years after participating in the program. Other Archways to Opportunity participants have said they recommend employment at McDonald's to friends and family solely because of the program.
After getting both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree through Archways to Opportunity, AleeSha Jennings continues to work in McDonald's management. 'I've worked for a lot of companies, and the government, and I can say, I've never had this many opportunities until I started working for McDonald's,' Jennings said.
A more engaged workforce leads to other important outcomes for businesses: Gallup has found engagement improves workplace safety, product quality, and profitability.
Programs like Archways to Opportunity also lift entire communities and boost a corporation's overall reputation. 'McDonald's is unique from an employee training perspective,' said Maria Flynn, CEO of Jobs for the Future, a McDonald's partner and national nonprofit focused on transforming U.S. education and workforce systems. 'Their strategy to invest in people, ensuring they have the option of either moving up or moving on, plays a clear role in the talent development of the regional labor market. It also contributes to the broader local economy.'
An Employer Model for Changing Lives and Changing Communities
Untapped potential should make employers uncomfortable. In a rapidly changing economy, leaving talent on the sidelines will reduce productivity and profitability. It also can have tangible negative effects on American families.
With support from their employers to address education and training barriers like awareness, cost, and time, many Americans would leap at the chance to improve their skillsets so they can find fulfilling careers. By going beyond tuition assistance for more than just traditional postsecondary education pathways, McDonald's offers a model employers can use to tap a rich well of talent.
McDonald's is just one company taking critical steps to create meaningful career pathways for employees, but the results speak for themselves. Programs like these create more opportunities for workers and increase retention, engagement, and productivity.
The Golden Arches hopes other companies will take note and follow.