Oregon State University has become one of the latest colleges to join Amazon’s Career Choice Program, which offers tuition assistance to eligible employees in the state.
Amazon employees enrolled in the program will have access to OSU’s Corvallis, Bend, and Ecampus classes. The program pays up to $2,625 and $5,250 for part- and full-time employees, respectively.
“We’re looking forward to Oregon State coming on board as an education partner,” said Tammy Thieman, global program lead of Amazon’s Career Choice program in a press release. “Today, more than 50,000 Amazon employees around the world have already participated in Career Choice, and we’ve seen firsthand how it can transform their lives.”
Amazon operates fulfillment centers in Hillsboro, Portland, Salem, and Troutdale, with additional warehouses expected to open next year in Canby and Woodburn, according to a news release from OSU. More than half of Amazon Career Choice participants identify as Black, Hispanic, or Indigenous.
Amazon’s Career Choice Program is one of the reasons CEO Andy Jassy gave during an interview with CNBC for why he thinks employees are better off not unionizing.
Amazon workers on Staten Island voted to unionize earlier this month, and another group is set to do so this week. A New York Times article credited higher education for workers’ ability to organize a diverse group — from multiracial to opposing ideologies — under one common goal.
Oregon State joins Portland State University and Mount Hood and Portland community colleges in Oregon that offer this program.
By Peggy Perdue
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