Amazon collaborates with OSU, offers employees tuition benefit in Corvallis, Bend, online

CORVALLIS, Ore. (KTVZ) — Oregon State University announced a collaboration Thursday that assists Amazon employees in Oregon in pursuing a college degree by enrolling in OSU courses on campus and online.

Amazon workers in Oregon will benefit from tuition assistance to pursue more than 200 Oregon State programs on the Corvallis campus or at OSU-Cascades in Bend, as well as 90-plus programs through OSU Ecampus, the university’s nationally ranked online education division.

This is the latest in a series of collaborations Ecampus has formed with organizations and employer networks to provide educational solutions for working adults. It is the first such alliance that gives students the ability to learn in person or online.

“OSU is Oregon’s statewide university, and this collaboration is true to our mission to serve the people of Oregon,” said Becky Johnson, Oregon State’s interim president. “We are working to expand access to higher education for all qualified students, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and this collaboration with Amazon will help us achieve that.”

The Amazon Career Choice program assists full- and part-time employees as they learn new skills to advance their careers at Amazon or elsewhere. The program collaborates with institutions like Oregon State that support working adults academically, assisting them with job placements and providing educational pathways that lead to career success.

“We’re looking forward to Oregon State coming on board as an education partner, adding to the hundreds of best-in-class offerings available to our employees,” said Tammy Thieman, global program lead of Amazon’s Career Choice program. “We’re committed to empowering our employees by providing them access to the education and training they need to grow their careers, whether that’s with us or elsewhere.

“Today, more than 50,000 Amazon employees around the world have already participated in Career Choice, and we’ve seen firsthand how it can transform their lives.”

Amazon operates fulfillment centers in Hillsboro, Portland, Salem and Troutdale, with additional warehouses expected to open next year in Canby and Woodburn. More than half of Amazon Career Choice participants identify as Black, Hispanic or Indigenous.

“We’re proud to support adult learners wherever they live, and teaming with Amazon is an exciting, innovative way to give Oregonians increased access to high-quality OSU programs that meet their needs,” said Ecampus Associate Provost Lisa L. Templeton.

Ecampus has corporate collaborations with organizations such as Guild Education, Peet’s Coffee and the Professional Hockey League Players’ Association.