June 9, 2023
Rochester, Michigan —June 9—Today, Oakland University announced they have been selected as an education partner for Amazon’s Career Choice program, providing Amazon’s hourly employees access to about 130 undergraduate degree programs. Eligible employees can choose from emerging fields such as cybersecurity and bioengineering to classic degree areas such as business, science, education and the liberal arts.
“Oakland University is deeply committed to creating opportunities to support our regional workforce,” said OU’s Vice President for Enrollment Management, Dawn Aubry. “Through this collaborative partnership, we advance our mission and enable Amazon employees, as students, to earn their undergraduate degrees and pursue their dreams.”
Located in the hub of Greater Metro Detroit, Oakland University aligns program offerings to internal roles and career development, presenting pathways for employees to pursue their passion. The university is proud of its 17:1 student-to-faculty ratio that ensures personalized instruction and guidance. OU also promotes student success with mentoring programs, flexible schedules, peer tutors, academic and career counseling and other support. Admissions advisers help students design a path that will launch a new career or take their skills to the next level.
Amazon’s Career Choice program is an education benefit that empowers employees to learn new skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere. The program meets individual learners where they are on their education journey through a variety of education and upskilling opportunities including pre-paid college tuition, industry certifications designed to lead to in-demand jobs, and foundational skills such as English language proficiency, high school diplomas, and GEDs. In the U.S., the company is investing $1.2 billion to upskill more than 300,000 employees by 2025 to help move them into higher-paying, in-demand jobs.
Amazon’s Career Choice program has a rigorous selection process for third-party partner educators, choosing partners that are focused on helping employees through their education programs, assisting them with job placements, and overall offering education that leads to career success.
“We’re looking forward to Oakland University coming on board as an education partner for Career Choice, adding to the hundreds of best-in-class offerings available to our employees,” said Tammy Thieman, Global Program Lead of Amazon’s Career Choice program. “We’re committed to empowering our employees by providing them access to the education and training they need to grow their careers, whether that’s with us or elsewhere. We have intentionally created a partner network of third-party educators and employers committed to providing excellent education, job placement resources, and continuous improvements to the experience. Today, over 130,000 Amazon employees around the world have participated in Career Choice and we’ve seen first-hand how it can transform their lives.”
For more information on Amazon’s Career Choice, visit aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/career-choice.
For more information on Oakland University, visit oakland.edu.
Oakland University is a doctoral, Carnegie Classification R2 “High Research Activity” university located in Oakland and Macomb counties, Michigan. The main campus is located on 1,443 acres of scenic land in the Southeast Michigan cities of Rochester Hills and Auburn Hills. Oakland University offers bachelor's degrees, graduate degrees and certificate programs, and is dedicated to delivering a distinctive college experience. Oakland University is organized into the College of Arts and Sciences (which includes a School of Music, Theatre and Dance), the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine and the Schools of Business Administration, Education and Human Services, Engineering and Computer Science, Health Sciences, Nursing, and The Honors College. At Oakland, the student experience is enhanced as students work alongside inspired faculty and community mentors in laboratory, field and corporate workplace settings. Students enjoy small class sizes, countless research and social opportunities, and a high rate of job placement after graduation. In fact, 99 percent of OU graduates stay and work in the state. This rich campus atmosphere is complete with residence halls, Greek life, Division I athletics and more than 250 student groups that lend to the total college experience.
# # #