‘Tis the season for summer hires: How America’s most popular summer job can be a great place to start a career

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (August 4, 2016) – For thousands of teenagers, college students and other young people, working in a McDonald’s restaurant is a great summer job. It gives them the opportunity to earn some money, learn important job skills and work with their friends. With so many young people working in McDonald’s restaurants, the popular hamburger franchise has long been synonymous with a summer job.

Based on expected hiring trends in company-owned restaurants, McDonald’s expects that approximately 130,000 teens will be hired to work in McDonald’s restaurants[1] between the months of June and August. For many of these teens, working at a McDonald’s restaurant over the summer is their first job – and a great place to start.

A job at a McDonald’s restaurant – even just for the summer – provides educational opportunities and a chance to learn valuable skills while working a flexible schedule with friends.

Francis Ampadu, a 28 year old, assistant manager at the McDonald’s restaurant owned and operated by Keith Smolar in Robbinsville, NJ, can attest to this. The Florence Township resident credits the restaurant chain with starting his career path a decade ago. Like thousands of American teens, Ampadu entered the workforce by way of the Golden Arches as a high school junior working as a crewperson at a McDonald’s in Old Bridge Township, Middlesex County. For Ampadu, it began as a summer job at the age of 18. He worked in the kitchen and behind the counter – developing critical skills in food preparation and customer service that prepared him for his future career path.

Ten years later, Ampadu is on the fast track to a prosperous career, working full time at McDonald’s while also studying for his bachelor’s degree in management and accounting at Rutgers University in Camden. His boss Keith Smolar, whose father Tom owns and operates several McDonald’s restaurants in South Jersey, expects to promote him again soon. He also plans to send him to Hamburger University, McDonald’s corporate training facility located in Oak Brook, Illinois.

In addition to the typical restaurant training, McDonald’s also has Archways to Opportunity[2], a workforce education program offering employees a variety of education opportunities, ranging from classes to improve English for non-native speakers to earning a high school diploma to college scholarships. Since its launch in April 2015, more than 6,800 employees nationwide have taken advantage of the Archways program. As an Archways participant, Ampadu receives assistance for his tuition at Rutgers and will continue to leverage this important McDonald’s benefit throughout his educational path.

This summer, McDonald’s is making it easier for people to advance on their educational journey by giving returning employees who work a collective nine months in their local McDonald’s restaurant an opportunity to receive tuition assistance for college or high school. This allows employees that work in a participating McDonald’s restaurant on a seasonal basis to qualify for tuition assistance, including students who work the summer during high school.

Since the Archways program launched, McDonald’s has provided millions of dollars in tuition assistance for eligible employees to achieve their high school diplomas and college degrees. In addition, the company has seen the following participation:

· 1,149 restaurant employees awarded tuition assistance for high school

· 4,001 restaurant employees awarded tuition assistance for college

· 1,176 graduated from English Under the Arches

· 535 completed advising sessions

Francis Ampadu hopes to move up through McDonald’s and one day become an owner/operator himself with employees of his own. For Ampadu what started out as a summer job during his teenage years has equipped him with valuable skills like teamwork, reliability, customer service, accountability and leadership. These skills, along with his education, will serve him well in life and wherever his career takes him.

[1] McDonald’s and McDonald’s’ independently owned and operated franchisees are the exclusive employer of their employees and as such are solely responsible for all employment related matters in their restaurants.

[2] Available at McDonald’s corporately owned restaurants and restaurants owned and operated by participating franchisees.