Amazon to help low wage workers go back to school

Amazon wants many of its lower-wage workers to get a
better job, even if it’s somewhere else. The company has
announced it will start paying for the schooling to make
it happen.

In a letter to posted on Amazon’s website Monday, CEO Jeff
Bezos says the company is offering to pre-pay 95 percent of
tuition for full-time employees who’ve worked at Amazon
for at least three years. Bezos says workers can choose
from among a number of fields including aircraft
mechanics, computer-aided design, machine tool
technologies, medical lab technologies and nursing.

In the letter, Bezos writes “unlike traditional tuition
reimbursement programs, we exclusively fund education only
in areas that are well-paying and in high demand according
to sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and
we fund those areas regardless of whether those skills are
relevant to a career at Amazon.”

Bezos acknowledges many of the workers will choose to
leave Amazon rather than build a career with the company.

“We want to make it easier for employees to make that
choice and pursue their aspirations. It can be difficult
in this economy to have the flexibility and financial
resources to teach yourself new skills.”

Amazon reported earlier this year it employs over 65,000
employees. Many are lower-wage workers in distribution
centers across the country. The company has faced harsh
criticism for conditions, and the tuition plan is just the
latest move in a series of improvements.

In the letter, Bezos claimed the company pays workers in
the centers “30 percent more than traditional physical retail
store employees while still offering customers the lowest
prices.”