Food distributor offers tuition assistance to employees

Food distributor offers tuition assistance to employees

Adults who wish to return to school may be inhibited by the costs associated with higher education. However, many government organizations, private companies, schools and employers provide scholarships, grants or other forms of financial aid to nontraditional learners. Online universities frequently create tuition assistance programs to encourage Americans to continue their education.

For example, Capella University, an online college, recently announced that it will offer reduced tuition to NorthEast Wholesale Food Distributors Association (NEWFDA) employees and their immediate family members. Eligible participants can receive financial aid in order to pursue an online bachelors, masters or doctoral degree at Capella University.

NEWFDA member organizations include major American food corporations such as Campbell's Soup Company, Del Monte Foods, General Mills, The Hershey Company, Kimberly Clark, Mars Snack Food, Nestle Brands, PepsiCo Foods and Beverages, as well as Sara Lee Foods. These companies employ more than 150,000 people.

Capella and NEWFDA entered the agreement in order to help distributors, wholesalers, manufacturers and brokers expand their businesses through online education. This benefits both the companies and their employees, as well as employee family members.

More than 4.6 million students nationwide were enrolled in at least one online courses during the 2008 academic year, according to a recent report by the Babson Survey Research Group and the Sloan Consortium.

By Mark Danson