McDonald’s Australia has launched the national roll out of ‘Archways to Opportunity’, an innovative new program offering more than 20,000 Macca’s employees nationwide the opportunity to transform workplace skills into university credits with some of Australia’s leading universities, including Curtin University.
Here’s how it works. McDonald’s Crew Coaches and Managers can now earn up to eight verified and transferrable micro-credentials, simply by completing on-the-job learning, face-to-face training and workplace experience in areas like communication, problem-solving and leadership.
Each micro-credential counts for up to one subject credit in an undergraduate degree in courses including Business, Commerce, Management, HR, Technology and IT, at universities nationwide. Stacked together, they can also ladder up to direct entry into a Master of Business Administration.
Excitingly, we have partnered with some of Australia’s leading universities, to provide a seamless pathway for our people towards university credits. This includes Curtin University as well as the University of Technology Sydney, the University of Adelaide, Charles Darwin University, the University of Tasmania, the University of Canberra, James Cook University, Torrens University Australia, the University of New England, Swinburne Universityand specialist training provider, the William Angliss Institute.
In some cases, this offers savings of more than $20,000 in fees and could shave up to a third off the total study time required to complete a bachelor’s degree.
McDonald’s is the first organisation in Australia to have its internal training and on-the-job experience -certified and recognised by multiple universities nationwide. This means thousands of Macca’s employees now have the opportunity to earn university recognised micro-credentials on the job, with no additional study required.
The nationwide rollout follows a successful pilot earlier this year with Capability.Co, Torrens University and the University of Adelaide.
McDonald’s Australia’s CEO, Joe Chiczewski, said, “Macca’s has always been famous for our exceptional skills and training programs, and we proudly invest millions of dollars every year into helping our people grow their skills and capabilities.
“Archways to Opportunity is the next evolution of that commitment and shows our people that the skills and training they build at Macca’s are real, valuable, and recognised beyond our restaurants. That’s not just exciting. It’s world class.
“To be able to work, earn a wage and have your training and experience count towards tertiary education is an incredible opportunity and a powerful advantage for any young person.
“We’re one of Australia’s largest employers of young people, and this is an investment we’re proud to lead at a time when more and more people are looking outside the traditional school-to-campus pathway.”
Curtin University’s Centre for Learning Enterprise and Partnership Engagement Director, Chandra Sundareswaran, said “Curtin was delighted to be the first WA university to partner with Capability Co. to open up new tertiary pathways into the University’s Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Innovation courses.
“Curtin is committed to empowering people from diverse backgrounds as well as regional and remote areas to achieve their academic and career potential, so we are excited to be working with McDonald’s to make higher education more accessible for their employees,” Mr Sundareswaran said.
“The Archways to Opportunity program will establish a formal credit recognition and direct entry pathway into Curtin’s undergraduate and postgraduate business or management programs, which gives students the opportunity to embark on a journey of lifelong learning, forge lasting connections, and unlock opportunities for a bright future.”
Kate Britt, CEO, Capability.Co said, “At Capability.Co, we want to ensure that everyone has open access to quality education and fulfilling careers, no matter their background. Archways to Opportunity exemplifies what’s possible when we recognise the real skills people develop every day at work. Together with McDonald’s, we’re opening the door to lifelong learning, career mobility, and greater equity in education.”
Zaakirah Khan, Restaurant Manager at McDonald’s Mount Annan, is excited to receive the micro-credentials, in recognition of her prior learning through McDonald’s training programs.
“I’d always planned to go to university” said Zaakirah, “but never imagined I’d have the support of McDonald’s in creating that opportunity. Now I’m able to take that next step, and it’s incredible to know that everything I’ve learned at Macca’s is giving me a head start. I can also continue to fit my shifts at Macca’s around study, which is a bonus!” Archways to Opportunity has launched at all McDonald’s restaurants, nationwide, including the more than 100 Macca’s in operation across Western Australia.
