Meijer Enhances Employee Education Enrollment Benefits

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Meijer announced Tuesday that enrollment in its education programs more than doubled since the company last year added a free tuition benefit to help employees obtain an associate or bachelor’s degree. 

All Meijer employees are eligible for the retailer’s education benefits – free tuition, tuition/certificate reimbursement and scholarships – on their date of hire.

“Our team members are core to our success, and by investing in them with these leading education benefits, we’re providing a path to help them achieve their educational goals,” said Rick Keyes, president and CEO of Meijer. “We’re pleased to see so many team members taking advantage of these benefits not only because it enriches them, but also because of the positive ripple effect it has on our communities.”

Free tuition is offered to all employees who want to pursue an English language learners program or associate or bachelor’s degree within five participating online universities: Colorado State University Global, University of Maryland Global Campus, Walden University, Western Governor’s University and Purdue University Global.

In addition to retail careers, there are more than 40 eligible fields of study for Meijer employees to pursue, such as marketing, computer science and criminal justice. 

Programs offer EdAssist academic coaches to advise participating employees on a path forward, from determining which degree would be the most beneficial for an individual to deciding on a field of study. Employees may also receive 10 hours of free tutoring. 

If employees prefer to pursue a higher education institution that is not part of the free tuition program, they can still be reimbursed for part of their tuition. 

Meijer increased tuition reimbursement for all accredited institutions last year to $5,250 a year for all employees. The increased amount is applicable to all schools under the retailer’s current policy for tuition and certificate reimbursement.

Meijer and the Meijer Foundation also offer multiple scholarship opportunities for employees and their families. 

Last month, Meijer announced a new scholarship opportunity with Davenport University. The Meijer Gold Education Scholarship offers all Meijer employees up to $8,000 a year, and all Meijer spouses and children up to age 29 a family scholarship up to $6,500 a year.

This scholarship can be used in conjunction with the retailer’s tuition reimbursement benefit and is an addition to the Fred and Lena Meijer Scholarship, organized by the Meijer Foundation, which awards multiple $5,000 and $10,000 scholarships a year to Meijer employees and their family members. 

“We care about the communities we serve, and that ultimately begins with our team members,” said Keith Morrison, vice president of Total Rewards for Meijer. “We believe our education benefits provide substantial value to our team members not only because they promote success, but they also remove financial and technological roadblocks that many of them previously faced.”

Pictured at top: The Meijer store at the Eastwood Mall Complex.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.