Onondaga County Executive J. Ryan McMahon II, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh and CNY Works Joined McDonald’s to Announce Summer Hiring Campaign and Access to Education Opportunities for Syracuse Employees
Announced in Syracuse on June 7, 2019 McDonald’s and its independent franchisees across Syracuse are expecting to hire approximately 130 restaurant employees to better serve customers this busy summer season. Additionally, the company and its independent franchisees expect to hire more than 10,000 people throughout New York this summer.
In a press conference held at the Shop City McDonald’s, Onondaga County Executive J. Ryan McMahon II, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh and CNY Works Executive Director Lenore Sealy joined with McDonald’s to announce the company’s summer hiring campaign and spoke about the access to educational opportunities the company provides to restaurant employees.
“A summer job can change a person’s life, and we need to take every action we can to make them available in our community,” said Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh. “McDonald’s is going even further by providing education and career advice, language support and college tuition assistance. This is the kind of private sector partnership we need to create pathways to jobs and college.”
McDonald’s provides a signature education and career advising program, Archways to Opportunity. Eligible after 90 days and 15 hours a week, restaurant employees have the chance to earn a high school diploma, receive $2,500 in upfront college tuition assistance, access to free education and career advising services and the opportunity to learn English as a second language. To date, McDonald’s has given out more than $4.5 million in tuition assistance and supported more than 2,000 restaurant workers in New York.
Through a summer job at McDonald’s, restaurant employees will not only learn transferable soft skills on the job, such as teamwork, customer service and responsibility, they will also get the chance to further their education once eligible.
Onondaga County Executive McMahon said, “Providing opportunities for our young people to get a job and learn important skills is not only the right thing to do, but will undoubtedly result in that individual recognizing the value and dignity that comes with earning a paycheck.” McMahon continued, “When you combine that with an investment in education, there is no better down payment we can make as a society.”
In addition, McDonald’s is supporting a multi-generational hiring push this summer through a first-of-its-kind collaboration in the quick service industry (QSR) with AARP and AARP Foundation. From morning shifts to management roles, AARP and AARP Foundation will help connect McDonald’s to a growing, yet underutilized workforce.
The partnership with AARP and AARP Foundation includes current McDonald’s U.S. restaurant job postings being featured on AARP’s job board, which only includes employers who are committed to an age-diverse workforce and looking for experienced talent. McDonald’s USA will also work with AARP Foundation on a pilot program that aligns employer and candidate job needs and interests leveraging AARP Foundation’s Senior Community Service Employment Program and BACK TO WORK 50+ workforce development programs. The pilot will start in five states: Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and North Carolina, before rolling out nationwide later this summer.
“For the first time ever, five generations are now working together under the Arches. Together with our franchisees we have a responsibility to each generation to provide opportunity, flexibility and resources for wherever they are on their career journey,” said Melissa Kersey, McDonald’s U.S. Chief People Officer. “Thanks, in part, to our new partnership with AARP and AARP Foundation we’re looking to position McDonald’s as place where people at every stage of working life can see themselves.”
McDonald’s also continues to invest in the communities in which it serves through two major scholarships:
- HACER® National Scholarship: Expanded the McDonald’s HACER® National Scholarship from five to 30 winners, providing more Hispanic students the opportunity to obtain a college degree. Scholarship applicants have the opportunity to directly receive up to $100,000 to help finance their tuition.
- Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund: Partnered with the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund to support students attending one of the 47 publicly-supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) within the TMCF member-school network offer six merit scholarships of $10,000 for the 2019-2020 academic year, which can be applied to verifiable costs associated with average tuition and usual fees.
Job seekers can visit McDonalds.com/careers to learn more and apply to a restaurant near them.
About McDonald’s USA
McDonald’s serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to more than 25 million customers every day. Ninety-five percent of McDonald’s 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by businessmen and women. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter @McDonalds and Facebook www.facebook.com/mcdonalds.
