JetBlue’s Award-Winning Employer-Sponsored College Degree Program, JetBlue Scholars, Reaches a Milestone – 250 Degrees Co...
December 04 2019 - 1:49PM
Business Wire
JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU) is celebrating the latest milestone for
its award-winning employer-sponsored education program – 250
degrees conferred in just three years. JetBlue’s innovative model
goes beyond the traditional tuition reimbursement method. JetBlue
Scholars launched in 2016 offering the airline’s crewmembers an
opportunity to earn fully accredited undergraduate college degrees,
with JetBlue covering most of the cost. JetBlue Scholars now also
includes a pathway for crewmembers to earn master’s degrees at
discounted and affordable rates.
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JetBlue’s award-winning
employer-sponsored college degree program, JetBlue Scholars,
reaches a milestone – 250 Degrees Conferred (Photo: Business
Wire)
The JetBlue Scholars undergraduate pathway gives crewmembers the
accessibility and flexibility to learn at their own pace. The
program provides a clearer path and converts aviation and military
training and other professional certificates into college credit,
helping reduce the time and cost for crewmembers to obtain their
undergraduate degrees. Thomas Edison State University (TESU) is the
sole provider of degrees for the JetBlue Scholars Program at the
undergraduate level. The undergraduate pathway offers opportunities
to earn degrees in business, aviation, liberal studies and
information technology (IT).
More than 31 million Americans have some college credits but no
degree. With college tuition at an all-time high, the average
student is $33,000 in debt. As JetBlue covers most of the costs for
undergraduate degrees, crewmembers save an average of $14,000 on
tuition, totaling more than $6.5 million in overall college costs
savings since the program started.
The latest graduates will have an opportunity to attend upcoming
graduation ceremonies at TESU. New JetBlue Scholars graduates were
also celebrated at a recent ceremony at JetBlue’s state-of-the-art
training facility in Orlando, Fla. Family and friends joined
JetBlue leaders, JetBlue Scholars Success Coaches and
administrators from TESU to congratulate and celebrate the latest
alumnae. TESU President Dr. Merodie A. Hancock traveled to the
JetBlue Scholars graduation to confer the degrees personally.
JetBlue’s President and Chief Operating Officer, Joanna
Geraghty, gave the commencement address offering words of advice
and encouragement to the program’s newest graduates. “If there’s
any advice that I can give you to, it’s this: Never stop learning,
stick with it, and to the extent that you can, pay it forward. You
have the power to make a difference in whatever you choose to do
and I can’t wait to see how you inspire humanity next.”
The prototype of the average college student is changing. As
such, JetBlue has taken an innovative approach to the traditional
higher education. In line with JetBlue’s mission of inspiring
humanity, JetBlue Scholars offers convenience, online learning and
Success Coaches to support crewmembers throughout the process of
completing their degrees.
JetBlue Scholars was developed based on crewmember feedback. The
program has proven to be a valuable retention and development tool,
leading to increased crewmember engagement and loyalty and
resulting in a greater return on investment for JetBlue.
Feedback from recent graduates:
- “I believe that all is possible in life, even if it takes you
many years of hard work. No one in my family has been able to
attend college. To be able to fulfill my dream has been incredible.
My degree allows me to use new skills in my everyday life and at
work. Now I will be able to move forward with my career growth and
development.” Pedro Hernandez is a Facilities Supervisor at
JetBlue and recently earned his Associates of Arts and Bachelors of
Liberal Arts degrees with JetBlue Scholars.
- “Finishing my degree is the end and the beginning of an
important journey for me. During my classes I had days that I felt
overwhelmed. The process was not easy especially when I received
orders to deploy with the US ARMY. But it wasn’t impossible either.
I saw myself growing professionally and personally with new skills
that are making me more competitive in the workforce. Today I can
say I did it.” Alex Rosario is an Inflight Team Leader at
JetBlue and has earned his Associates of Arts and Bachelors of
Liberal Arts degrees through JetBlue Scholars.
JetBlue Scholars Undergraduate Pathway
Through an innovative partnership model, JetBlue unbundled the
higher education system, step-by-step, to make it easier for
crewmembers who have some previous college credits but did not know
how to move forward to complete their degrees. JetBlue Scholars
undergraduate pathway utilizes low cost, high-quality alternative
college credit options, including new technology-based learning
platforms like Study.com, Sophia.org and StraighterLine.com. These
courses are accepted for college credit at partner school -Thomas
Edison State University and are a fraction of the cost of
traditional college classes.
Nearly 700 JetBlue crewmembers are currently working towards
their college degree through the JetBlue Scholars program. On
average, it takes crewmembers about 13 months to complete an
associate degree and 16 months to complete a bachelor’s degree
through JetBlue’s model. For more information, visit
jetbluescholars.com.
ABOUT JETBLUE
JetBlue is New York's Hometown Airline®, and a leading carrier
in Boston, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Los Angeles (Long Beach),
Orlando, and San Juan. JetBlue carries more than 42 million
customers a year to 100+ cities in the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin
America with an average of more than 1,000 daily flights. For more
information, please visit jetblue.com.
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MEDIA JetBlue Corporate Communications Tel: +1 718
709 3089 corpcomm@jetblue.com
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