McDonald’s Launches Career Readiness App for Employees

On January 22, McDonald’s announced it had created further resources for its employees to seek education and put it to work. The Archways to Careers mobile app will allow U.S.-based McDonald’s employees to discover education opportunities and professional work—both at McDonald’s and in the workforce at large.

The Archways to Careers app marks McDonald’s latest collaboration with their longstanding partner, the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). The non-profit organization is an affiliate of the Strada Education Network. They were also joined in the effort by career coaching company InsideTrack.

McDonald’s Archways to Careers App, an Extension of their Archways to Opportunity Program

Features of the app will include an interest test and tools to help learners and workers plot a path toward a given career. It also connects users with life coaches to help in the process.

The app forms an extension to the existing Archways to Opportunity initiative.

“My husband and I have been McDonald’s Franchisees for 32 years and have helped nearly 50 employees participate in Archways to Opportunity including English Under the Arches, the high school completion program and college tuition assistance. I hear all the time that they are looking for an opportunity to build new skills and receive an education but don’t always know where to start,” said Miami, Florida McDonald’s franchise owner Isa Rodriguez, in a statement. “Now, with a click on the app, restaurant employees have access to the right tools and advisors to help guide them closer to where they want to be, and McDonald’s will provide tuition assistance and the qualified support to get them there.”

The Archways to Opportunity program helps McDonald’s employees gain English language skills and work toward a high school diploma. After one spends 30 days as an employee, the program also offers up to $3,000 to put towards college tuition. Launched in 2015, the program has, to date, reached over 50,000 McDonald’s employees and given a collective $90 million in college tuition assistance.

Tapping Digital Tools to Deliver Employee Resources

As a massive corporation with hundreds of thousands of employees in the U.S. alone, McDonald’s has distinguished itself with efforts to train and skill employees using digital solutions.

For example, the company uses a gamified training program that teaches new employees basic store operations and how to use the cash register.

The training has proven highly effective and has become the company’s most-used online portal. 85% of employees believe it was effective.

Besides numerous online training programs, such as those designed for new franchise owners and OSHA compliance, the company has also dabbled in virtual reality simulations. Like the cash register game, new employees can use a VR program to become acclimatized to how things work without the stress of real-life customers.

The Archways to Careers app marks the latest venture into online training and professional resources.

“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,” said CAEL President Marie Cini, in a statement. “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.”

Featured Image: XUNO, Unsplash.