Why Go to College When You Can Get Educated at McDonald’s?
McDonald’s in UK is now serving up Advanced Level (A-Level) education certificates along with their burgers.
The fast food chain has been licensed to provide training and to set their own curriculum to train employees. To start with it will offer a “Basic Shift Manager” certificate which will include staff training, human resources and marketing.
McDonald’s chief people officer, David Fairhurst said that this approach would provide real opportunities and social mobility.
In 2007 this fast food company campaigned to change the image of those employed at McDonald’s. The word “McJob” has entered the dictionary in UK and the definition is: “an unstimulating low-paid job with few prospects.”
Government
skills secretary John Denham said this new scheme would give credit to
companies offering training programs and apprenticeships. It has
already been extended to air travel company Flybe and Network Rail.
This
sounds like a good idea to give young people qualifications and skills
but there are already courses available in schools and colleges that
offer these opportunities. Students on these courses have to dedicate
themselves to achieving the required standards. Imagine how they will
feel when others are working in McDonald’s and getting qualifications
that are considered equivalent to advanced level certificates for doing
that.
Employers faced with applicants with equal
qualifications are unlikely to recognize a certificate awarded by
McDonald’s as acceptable. This seems to be a joint effort between
McDonald’s need to make recruiting easier by offering an incentive, and
the UK governments drive to improve skills among young people.
14 Comments
This is good new! I wonder if McDonalds in the US offer this program.
It’s a strange kind of certificate, because it will be a level 3, and therefore equivalent to an A-level, but it sounds as if it will be more like an apprenticeship. It will be interesting to see how it develops and how well it’s received when graduates start looking for jobs or places in colleges.
Louie, I can see McDonald’s need to make their work place more enticing, but I can also see your point. Business management classes have a lot more to offer than just becoming a supervisor. .
Good article. Food for thought.
I can just imagine the marketing class. “Repeat after me. Would you like fries with that? Again – this time say it with a smile. Would you like fries with that? No, you have to say it with *feeling*! Once more… Would you like fries with that? Much better!”
This is a very interesting article.
Best wishes.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.
Why not, KFC does it, runs a management program too. For all the flack MacDees have some good points too!
A good start for McDonald to do so. Hopefully, other fast food chains may also follow this move.
It is interesting to hear Mc Donald’s is offering A-level education certificates.
I think, like with other programmes such as this one, we have to wait and see what the outcome would be like.
I wonder if the U.S. McDonalds would do this…
It would be easier than going to college thats for sure 
I want PhD in burger frying
Very interesting. Hopefully this is a successful experiment so that it may spread around the globe.
Interesting, I didn’t know Mcdonalds were in the education business. I don’t think it would go over very well in the US.
Thanks, but I’m not recommending it to my kids.