Jason’s Deli Partners with Sophia Learning to Provide Access to Online General Education Courses

Rhea-AI Summary

Sophia Learning, an online learning platform, is partnering with Jason’s Deli to provide full-time and part-time employees access to low-cost college-level courses. The $99/month subscription is reimbursable under Jason’s Deli's tuition reimbursement policy, allowing employees to pursue education goals. This partnership aims to remove financial barriers and provide flexible, transferable, and ACE-recommended courses for Jason’s Deli employees.

Insights

Human Resources Expert

The strategic partnership between Sophia Learning and Jason's Deli underscores a growing trend in the business landscape where companies invest in employee development as a means to enhance job satisfaction, retention and overall productivity. From a human resources perspective, providing access to affordable education can be a significant competitive advantage in attracting and retaining talent, especially in industries with high turnover rates like fast casual dining.

Furthermore, the initiative can be seen as an alignment with corporate social responsibility, where businesses actively contribute to the societal good. By removing financial barriers to education, Jason's Deli not only invests in its workforce but also potentially increases the skill level within the community. This could lead to a more educated and skilled labor pool, from which the company could benefit in the long term.

Financial Analyst

From a financial standpoint, the key aspect to consider is the cost-benefit analysis of the education benefits program. While there is an upfront cost associated with the $99/month subscription per employee, the potential long-term benefits could outweigh these costs. Benefits such as reduced turnover, higher employee engagement and the ability to promote from within can lead to significant savings on recruitment and training of new staff.

It's also important to note that the tuition reimbursement is contingent upon the company's policy, which could serve as a financial control mechanism to ensure that the investment is yielding desired outcomes such as course completion and skills acquisition that are beneficial to the company's operations.

Market Research Analyst

Examining the broader market implications, the partnership could signal a shift in the fast casual restaurant industry's approach to workforce management. As other players in the market observe the potential benefits of such a program, it could lead to an industry-wide adoption of similar strategies, increasing the overall level of education among workers in this sector.

This move may also be a response to the changing labor market dynamics where employees are increasingly seeking employers that offer more than just a paycheck. Companies that fail to adapt to these expectations may find themselves at a competitive disadvantage in terms of attracting and retaining employees.

HERNDON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Sophia Learning, an online, on-demand, self-paced learning platform providing college-level courses is partnering with Jason’s Deli, an award-winning fast casual restaurant, to give its full-time and part-time employees access to Sophia’s low-cost $99/month subscription. The subscription will include access to more than 60 high-quality general education college-level courses.

The monthly subscription will be reimbursable in accordance with the tuition reimbursement policy of Jason’s Deli. Additionally, Jason’s Deli employees will be eligible to receive the tuition reimbursement benefits for multiple reimbursement cycles, including consecutively month over month.

"At Jason's Deli, we recognize that financial barriers can be an obstacle for our employees who want to meet their education goals. Jason’s Deli is proud to launch our education benefits program with Sophia to help remove this burden for our employees,” said Alex Cone, VP of Human Resources for Jason’s Deli. “Sophia's platform is a great partner for us and will allow our diverse workforce to continue to learn and excel, whenever or wherever they choose."

Sophia is an online learning platform that allows students at any stage of their higher education journey to get started on their education or finish up their college-level courses. The courses are flexible, ACE®-recommended for college credit, and available through an affordable monthly subscription that allows students to move through courses at their own speed.

Sophia currently partners with over 60 colleges and universities who have agreed to award credit for Sophia courses. Through the partnership, Jason’s Deli employees will be eligible to receive credit with Sophia partner institutions as well as apply for consideration at non-partner institutions.

“As more frontline workers consider going back to school, having access to affordable general education courses that are flexible and transferable will be absolutely critical for them,” said Shawna Thayer, Chief Executive Officer of Sophia. “We are excited to partner with Jason’s Deli to provide their team members with a pathway to help them advance their personal and professional goals.”

Starting today, eligible Jason’s Deli employees are able to apply for a Sophia subscription. For more information, visit https://app.sophia.org/jasons-deli to learn more about the partnership and its offerings.

About Jason’s Deli

A family-owned deli restaurant chain, Jason's Deli was founded in Beaumont, Texas, in 1976 by Joe Tortorice Jr. and now has 250 locations in 28 states. In 2005, Jason's Deli was the first major restaurant concept to ban artificial trans fats in the U.S. and later became the first to eliminate high-fructose corn syrup. At Jason's Deli, whether you want gluten-sensitive menu items or vegetarian options, healthy kids' meals, or if you would like to build your own salad at their famous salad bar, you will be delighted by the bigger choices of better food, from healthy to indulgent. For more information, please visit jasonsdeli.com.

About Sophia Learning

Sophia is an online learning platform that allows students at any stage of their higher education journey to get started on or continue their education by taking affordable and flexible college-level general education courses that are ACE®-recommended for college credit. Sophia students have saved more than $500 million in tuition dollars*, completed more than 500,000 courses, and have been awarded more than 1,500,000 transfer credits at receiving institutions. For more information about Sophia, visit Sophia.org. Sophia is a subsidiary of Strategic Education, Inc.

^{* Savings based on average annual tuition at in-state, 4-year institutions, as reported by IPEDS, 2020.}

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240130903539/en/

Elaine Kincel

202-557-4920

Media.relations@strategiced.com

Source: Sophia Learning

FAQ

What is the partnership between Sophia Learning and Jason’s Deli about?

The partnership aims to provide Jason’s Deli employees access to low-cost college-level courses through a $99/month subscription.

Is the $99/month subscription reimbursable for Jason’s Deli employees?

Yes, the subscription is reimbursable in accordance with the tuition reimbursement policy of Jason’s Deli.

How many colleges and universities does Sophia Learning currently partner with?

Sophia Learning currently partners with over 60 colleges and universities.

What are the benefits of the partnership for Jason’s Deli employees?

The partnership provides flexible, transferable, and ACE-recommended courses for Jason’s Deli employees to advance their personal and professional goals.

Where can eligible Jason’s Deli employees apply for a Sophia subscription?

Eligible Jason’s Deli employees can apply for a Sophia subscription at https://app.sophia.org/jasons-deli.