Most people get academic degrees in areas like economics, computer engineering, physics, or art history. But how would you like to get a diploma in the illustrious field of burger-flipping?
Most people get academic degrees in areas like economics, computer engineering, physics, or art history. But how would you like to get a diploma in the illustrious field of burger-flipping?
OK, that’s not exactly how it works –but close: Everyone’s favorite fast-food giant is turning into a McCollege, now that it’s won approval to provide academic credit to employees in its managerial training programs in Great Britain. The credit from the Golden Arches’ “basic shift manager” course, in which a staff member is trained in everything from basic hygiene to customer service with a smile, is equivalent to passing the A-level exams, an intensive series of tests that British high schoolers must take at age 16.
Though some are skeptical of how far a McCredit or two can take a student, a 20-year-old McDonald’s employee, Dean Burn, says that the program has helped him score acceptance letters from two universities, when otherwise he would have been rejected for dropping out of high school.
“I could give you 20 examples of how working at McDonald’s has prepared me,” he told British TV network GMTV. “There’s the shift work, time management and people skills—within nine months I was promoted to management level.”
So, how about a Big Mac with a side of school?