FAMU Joins Amazon as an Education Partner for Career Choice Program

By Deidre Williams

Florida A&M University joined Amazon as an educational partner for its pre-paid college tuition program, Career Choice.

Starting this spring, eligible Amazon employees can attend FAMU for free to pursue professional certificates and degrees for high-demand occupations. The announcement was made during the opening of a new fulfillment center in Tallahassee, which has already hired more than 1,000 employees who could benefit from this opportunity. While attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony, President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., said the new facility provides a significant boost to FAMU and the local economy.

“It means a lot of opportunities for our students looking to go to work for Amazon, not just in Tallahassee but around the country. I am really excited about this, not just for FAMU but for the entire Tallahassee-Leon County community,” Robinson said.

Amazon’s Career Choice program is part of its $1.2 billion national investment to enhance the skills of 300,000 U.S-based employees through training and education by 2025.

“This partnership goes a long way to fulfill  the promise of opportunity that is intrinsic to our legacy,” Robinson said. “Amazon employees can benefit from the world class education being offered by Florida A&M University and our students will have the opportunity of gainful employment at a global enterprise at Amazon.”

Through FAMU’s partnership, hourly Amazon employees in Tallahassee are eligible to participate in the Career Choice program after 90 days of employment.

Allyson L. Watson, Ph.D., FAMU provost and vice president for academic affairs, lauded the partnership for the opportunities it will create.

“We look forward to supporting the educational and career success of Amazon employees seeking to learn new skills and to build their careers through any of our 54 bachelor’s degree programs,” Watson said.

More than 150,000 Amazon employees worldwide have participated in the Career Choice program since its 2012 launch. FAMU is among nine Florida universities and educational institutions, and the fourth HBCU to become an official partner.