Getting your degrees debt-free

When Austin Feather first started at Cook, he worked as an employee in production. He became interested in staying at the company long term, but knew that his current position wasn’t what he wanted to do forever. After six months at Cook, he started participating in the US version of the My Cook Pathway program.

After using the program, Austin was able to graduate at the age of 24, debt-free*, with a master’s degree in Business Administration from Western Governors University (WGU). Now, he works at Park 48 as an Inventory Management specialist.

In the video below, you can learn more about Austin’s unique experience with the My Cook Pathway program.

A look at the program

One of the goals of My Cook Pathway in the US is to make it possible for someone to come to Cook without a high school diploma and get an education all the way through a master’s degree at no cost to them. Thanks to our growing partnership with Western Governors University (WGU), a nonprofit, online university, we are proud that this is now possible.

This education partnership is available to any Cook employee in the US. Please note that if you are a field based employee, or at a facility outside of the Bloomington area, you can participate in this program. If you are outside of the US, and are interested in tuition assistance, please contact your local HR.

WGU pathways

Currently, even with the $5,250 yearly tuition assistance from Cook, employees may have barriers that prevent them from completing their education at their desired pace. Our expanded partnership with WGU allows employees to earn their degree at no cost to them and at their own pace through the following pathways:

• Any employee graduating with an associate’s degree from Ivy Tech can attend WGU for a bachelor’s degree with no out-of-pocket costs if they begin within 6 months of graduating from Ivy Tech.
• Any employee graduating with a bachelor’s degree from WGU can pursue a master’s degree through WGU with no out-of-pocket costs if they begin within 12 months of graduating.
• Regardless of their previous schooling, current Cook employees can apply for the WGU GAP Scholarship Fund towards tuition. Through this customized scholarship offering, eligible employees will be able to access degree programs at WGU with no out of pocket tuition cost. For more information, click here to learn about the WGU My Cook Pathway Employee Scolarship.
  

Learn more

For additional information about this exciting educational benefit, click here. More information is also available at www.wgu.edu/cook. If you have questions about tuition assistance in your region, please reach out to your local HR.

*Austin used a combination of My Cook Pathway and a WGU family/friends discount (his mother is a course mentor in WGU’s School of Nursing) to get his degree debt-free. Because of Cook’s expanded partnership with WGU, it is now possible to graduate debt-free using only My Cook Pathway.

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Written by Nicky James, the vice president of Human Resources and Learning and Talent Development.

You can click the blue text to read Remembering Rita Harden and learn more about Rita Harden, a beloved Cook employee who passed away earlier this year. You can also click The Cook Values Audio Series: Episode 2 to read and learn more about what it means to treat everyone with respect as Ron Mobley shares his unique twist on the “Golden Rule.”