McDonald’s Unveils New Archways to Careers Mobile App for Restaurant Employees

If you don’t already know about McDonald’s Archways to Opportunity® program, you should.  

Every day, it enables eligible restaurant employees to learn English language skills, earn a high school diploma, benefit from career advisors and receive upfront college tuition assistance up to $3,000.  

In fact, since its start in 2015, Archways to Opportunity has increased access to education for more than 50,000 McDonald’s restaurant employees and awarded more than $90 million in high school and college tuition assistance.   

But we knew we could do more to empower and support our restaurant employees. Enter: the brand new Archways to Careers mobile app. 

Archways to Careers is a career exploration mobile app designed to help restaurant employees understand the valuable skills they are developing at McDonald’s – and how to leverage them in future career opportunities, whether at McDonald’s or elsewhere. 

Through the app, users will be able to find education and growth opportunities within their local communities. They’ll be invited to take an interest assessment to identify fitting career paths. And they can work with a career advisor, in real time, to plot a personalized educational pathway. 

The app is getting high praise from people like Ron Williams, an Operations Associate at McDonald’s. Ron is one of many Archways to Opportunity success stories. He started at a McDonald’s restaurant when he was 19 years old, and his experiences and the support he received through the program helped lead him to a microbiology major – and ultimately a job at McDonald’s Corporate office, working in food safety.  

Isa Rodriguez, a McDonald’s owner/operator from Miami, Florida, has helped nearly 50 employees participate in Archways to Opportunity, including English Under the Arches, the high school completion program and college tuition assistance. She’s similarly excited about Archways to Careers. 

“Now, with a click on the app, restaurant employees have access to the right tools and advisors to help guide them closer to where they want to be and McDonald’s will provide tuition assistance and the qualified support to get them there,” she says. 

McDonald's is proud to continue to invest in and create more opportunity for those who work in its restaurants, says Rob Lauber, McDonald’s Chief Learning Officer. 

“The McDonald’s system workforce has immeasurable talent to offer, and with its existing education benefits coupled with this rich new mobile experience, restaurant employees are better equipped to discover and advance their careers, positioning themselves for long-term career success no matter where they end up,” Rob says.  

Watch a video showing how the Archways to Careers app works below. For more information about Archways to Opportunity, visit http://www.archwaystoopportunity.com/about_archways.html.