topic Re: FREE College Tuition in Community Chat

FREE College Tuition

MorningLover — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 12:17:24 GMT

Dolly Parton is giving free college tuition for Dollywood workers

NYP: Dollywood Parks & Resorts in Tennessee announced their plans to cover 100% of tuition and the cost of books “for any employee who chooses to pursue further education,” WHJL-11 reported on Tuesday.

The benefit goes to Dollywood’s 11,000 Full, Part-Time and Seasonal Workers of all ages at any of their 25 attractions across the US, including the Harlem Globetrotters and New Jersey’s Adventure Aquarium, starting on the day they’re hired.

“When our hosts strive to grow themselves, it makes our business and our community a truly better place,” said Dollywood Company president Eugene Naughton Herschend Enterprises, which jointly owns Dollywood alongside the country queen herself, said they aim to encourage employees to follow their dreams.

“We care about our hosts’ development and we want their future to grow because of love, not loans,” said Andrew Wexler, CEO of Herschend Enterprises, in a statement.

Re: FREE College Tuition

ECBG — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 12:31:04 GMT

How very wonderful! I seriously doubt Dollywood will have a worker shortage!

Re: FREE College Tuition

on the bay — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 12:46:35 GMT

That is incredible!💗

Re: FREE College Tuition

Imaoldhippie — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 12:55:48 GMT

Dolly is a very kind hearted special person.

Re: FREE College Tuition

meallen616 — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 13:02:14 GMT

Re: FREE College Tuition

manny2 — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 14:02:57 GMT

What a wonderful way to give back.

Re: FREE College Tuition

Teddixat — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 14:33:13 GMT

ANOTHER REASON TO LOVE HER!

Re: FREE College Tuition

chrystaltree — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 15:52:13 GMT

Dolly gets it! She understands that the way to get workers is to give them a way to improve their lives! She understands that young people don't want to spend 50 years on low paying jobs that lead no where. An educated worker is a better worker. It's 2022 and a high school diploma isn't enough anymore. Young people need careers with a future and that means education beyond a high school diploma. Not necessarily a 4 year college. There are hundreds of career programs in technical schools and community colleges and graduates can make excellent salaries. Also what Dolly is doing means those workers won't have to take out student loans.

Re: FREE College Tuition

Laura14 — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 15:56:02 GMT

How much more of an example does a girl have to be and do? I love that we've gone back to space with the billionaires but note to Jeff, Sir Richard, and Elon, there are better goals to strive for.... Go Dolly!

Re: FREE College Tuition

deepwaterdotter — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 16:12:13 GMT

This is how I was able to graduate from college. Chrysler Corp. paid for my tuition and books as long as I was an employee and maintained a 3.5 GPA. It took some effort, but I'm grateful for the chance to expand my knowledge.

Re: FREE College Tuition

luvzchiz — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 16:28:24 GMT

Dolly Parton is a class act. Beautiful inside and outside.

Re: FREE College Tuition

Mindy D — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 16:46:48 GMT

This helps them get employees in a time that's hard to get them. That's why Amazon does this too.

Re: FREE College Tuition

char1976 — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 17:37:16 GMT

Actually it is the company Herschend Family Enterainment that owns Dollywood with Dolly and SilverDollar City and a few more parks that is doing the free college tuition. Not Dolly herself. They have it posted on the Herschend web site. They are doing that for all their parks.

Re: FREE College Tuition

Lipstickdiva — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 17:41:50 GMT

@Mindy D wrote:
This helps them get employees in a time that's hard to get them. That's why Amazon does this too.

Walmart also announced back in July they were going to do this for both Walmart and Sam's Club associates.

Re: FREE College Tuition

Sooner — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 17:49:12 GMT

Dolly understands what "poor" (rhymes with shore and is usually 2 syllables) is for sure.

What a great thing to do! I wish kids could have time with financial planners in high school. I think that would be a great step forward for a lot of people.

Re: FREE College Tuition

Goldengate8361 — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 19:32:46 GMT

That's always nice to hear, but bear in mind that the VAST majority of businesses and corporations can not afford this benefit. I think that many people talk about businesses like they have infinite money bags.

Re: FREE College Tuition

chrystaltree — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 19:46:38 GMT

@deepwaterdotter wrote:
This is how I was able to graduate from college. Chrysler Corp. paid for my tuition and books as long as I was an employee and maintained a 3.5 GPA. It took some effort, but I'm grateful for the chance to expand my knowledge.

That's also how my brother got his degree in engineering. After high school, he worked for Raytheon as an assistant something, took in house classes and got promoted to a draftsman. Took college classes at night. Raytheon paid 100% including books as long as he maintained a 3.0 average. They let him leave work an hour early on class days so he wouldn't be late for class. He only had to agree to work for them for 5 years after graduation.

Re: FREE College Tuition

gertrudecloset — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 19:49:05 GMT

@MorningLover wrote:
Dolly Parton is giving free college tuition for Dollywood workers

NYP: Dollywood Parks & Resorts in Tennessee announced their plans to cover 100% of tuition and the cost of books “for any employee who chooses to pursue further education,” WHJL-11 reported on Tuesday.

The benefit goes to Dollywood’s 11,000 Full, Part-Time and Seasonal Workers of all ages at any of their 25 attractions across the US, including the Harlem Globetrotters and New Jersey’s Adventure Aquarium, starting on the day they’re hired.

“When our hosts strive to grow themselves, it makes our business and our community a truly better place,” said Dollywood Company president Eugene Naughton Herschend Enterprises, which jointly owns Dollywood alongside the country queen herself, said they aim to encourage employees to follow their dreams.

“We care about our hosts’ development and we want their future to grow because of love, not loans,” said Andrew Wexler, CEO of Herschend Enterprises, in a statement.

The College Tuition is not being offered directly from Dolly Parton's theme park. It's being offered by her parent company which is Herschel Enterprises. I think it's a wonderful idea.

Re: FREE College Tuition by Herschend Holdings, LLC

gertrudecloset — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 19:57:27 GMT

ATLANTA, Feb. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Herschend Enterprises, the nation's largest privately-owned themed attractions corporation, announced it will cover 100% of tuition, fees, and books for its 11,000 employees who choose to pursue further education. The significant investment in employee education will be made through Herschend's GROW U. The program aims to make it exponentially easier for employees at all levels to pursue their personal and professional dreams through education.

Herschend's GROW U. will officially launch on February 24, 2022, for all seasonal, part-time, and full-time employees across its 25 US attractions including The Harlem Globetrotters, Dollywood Parks & Resorts (Tenn.), Silver Dollar City (Mo.), Adventure Aquarium (N.J.), Newport Aquarium (Ky.), Kentucky Kingdom (Ky.), Wild Adventures (Ga.), and Pink Adventure Tours (Ariz., Tenn., Nev.).

"Herschend's GROW U. is not only a significant and transformational investment in our employee's growth but also our love culture in action," said Andrew Wexler, CEO of Herschend Enterprises. "Herschend is rooted in love – it's evident at every Herschend property, every day –in the way we treat and support each other, how we Create Memories Worth Repeating for guests, and most importantly, how we care for our employees."

"Whether it's to pursue a new dream or advance their career with us, we care about our employees' personal and professional growth, because we believe that their futures should be grown with love, not loans," continued Wexler. "Our team members' success is our success – and that's why we're thrilled to make this benefit available to all, regardless of their role in the company and without the burden of debt."

HOW IT WORKS

Herschend's GROW U. offers 11,000 eligible seasonal, part-time and full-time employees and hosts more than 100 fully-funded (100% free) diploma, degree and certificate programs across 30 learning partners in Guild's Learning Marketplace, including programs in high-demand fields such as business administration and leadership, culinary, finance, technology and marketing. Additionally, the company will provide partial funding, up to $5,250/year, for 150 additional programs in fields including hospitality, engineering, human resources and art design.

Herschend Enterprises selected Guild Education, the nation's leading education and upskilling platform, to power GROW U. because of their strong reputation for connecting employers and high-value learning providers to create opportunities for America's workforce. Herschend employees will have access to Guild's proprietary Learning Marketplace to select from more than 30 learning providers and utilize resources like professional coaches to support their educational journey.

"We're proud to partner with Herschend to provide their employees with an equitable education program to advance their careers," said Natalie McCullough, President and Chief Commercial Officer of Guild. "With this program, Herschend is preparing its workforce for the jobs of the future with new skills and mobility opportunities."

About Herschend Enterprises

Launched in 1960, Herschend Enterprises is a family of companies that focus on family entertainment. Its operating companies include Herschend Family Entertainment (Dollywood® Parks & Resorts, Silver Dollar City®, Adventure Aquarium®, Newport Aquarium®, Kentucky Kingdom®, and Wild Adventures®), Herschend Live (Harlem Globetrotters®), Herschend Entertainment Studios (Splash & Bubbles® and Chuggington®) and Herschend Adventure Holdings, LLC (Pink Adventure Tours®). Herschend properties entertain more than 14 million guests annually. For six decades, Herschend has operated with the purpose of bringing families closer together by Creating Memories Worth Repeating®. For more information, visit www.herschendenterprises.com.

About Guild Education

Guild Education is on a mission to unlock opportunity for America's workforce through education and upskilling. A certified B-Corp, founded to bridge the gap between education and employment for working adults in the U.S. in need of upskilling for the future of work, Guild's industry-leading technology platform allows the nation's largest employers — including Bon Secours Mercy Health, Chipotle, Discover, Hilton, Macy's, Target, Walmart and The Walt Disney Company — to offer strategic education and upskilling to their employees. Guild connects workers to a learning marketplace of the nation's best learning partners for working adults with tuition paid by the company. Guild's payments and technology platform, curated learning marketplace, and advanced education and career services come together to help working adult learners advance in their education and career, debt-free. For more information, visit https://www.guildeducation.com/

Since Clarification of the article was provided by me, this means you should now know that many more besides those who for Dolly Parton's theme Park will be able to get this free tuition. It applies to all 11,000 employees throughout Herschend's Business Portfolio.

Re: FREE College Tuition

gertrudecloset — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 21:36:30 GMT

@char1976 wrote:
Actually it is the company Herschend Family Enterainment that owns Dollywood with Dolly and SilverDollar City and a few more parks that is doing the free college tuition. Not Dolly herself. They have it posted on the Herschend web site. They are doing that for all their parks.

Thank you @char1976