The University of Phoenix is helping retail workers advance their careers through higher education.
The university will team up with the National Retail Federation for a second time to provide 20 retail workers with the opportunity to "make their career dreams a reality" through their Dream BIG scholarship program, which was created in 2013, school officials said in a press release.
"Connecting the skills and expertise of working learners with a degree program that will take their personal and professional goals to the next level is what we do," Barry Feierstein, executive vice president at University of Phoenix, said in a statement. "The Dream BIG Scholarship represents our commitment to align higher education with the needs of both our students and their employers."
The scholarship program will offer retail workers full-tuition scholarships to any University of Phoenix bachelor's or master's degree program. University officials said the program is also flexible, allowing recipients to continue to work and live at home while pursuing a degree.
Daniel White, a 2013 Dream BIG recipient and employee at The Container Store, is pursuing a master's degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing. He said the program gave him a better understanding of retail.
"I am passionate about retail and this program with University of Phoenix has given me a firmer ground to stand on when looking at not just the company I work for but the retail industry as a whole," he said. "Educated leaders will be the key driver in moving the retail industry forward."
Last year, when the program first began, hundreds of retail workers from more than 30 companies across the states applied for the scholarship and 10. Given the success of the program last year, the University of Phoenix and NRF decided to double the number of scholarships available for 2014.
"We're delighted to double the number of full-tuition scholarships being provided this year," Executive Director Ellen Davis of the National Retail Federation said in a statement. "Retail offers richly rewarding and diverse career opportunities to millions of hard-working Americans, and NRF is committed to fostering career growth for those who want to achieve great things in our industry."
