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Country music star Dolly Parton's Dollywood amusement park has announced that it will cover education costs for all of its employees.
The "GROW U" program, which is set to begin on February 24, will cover the full cost of tuition, fees and books for employees that choose to further their education. The program will be available for all of Dollywood's full-time, part-time and seasonal employees, which the park calls "hosts," beginning on their first day of employment.
"Our goal at Dollywood Parks and Resorts is to provide the best possible experience for both our guests and our hosts," The Dollywood Company President Eugene Naughton said in a statement obtained by Newsweek. "We know when our hosts are happy and feel cared for that they are going to pass that along to our guests. The creation of the program allows another avenue for us to care for our hosts."
"One of The Dollywood Foundation's key tenets is to 'learn more.' This program is created with that very tenet in mind," he added. "We want our hosts to develop themselves through advanced learning to fulfill the foundation's other tenets: care more, dream more, and be more. When our hosts strive to grow themselves, it makes our business and our community a truly better place. We care about our hosts' development and we want their future to grow because of love—not loans."
The GROW U program was launched by Herschend Enterprises, which jointly owns and operates Dollywood. All 11,000 employees of Herschend properties and attractions, which also include Missouri's Silver Dollar City and the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, will be eligible for the program.
The program provides full funding for diploma, degree and certificate programs across 30 different learning partners. Fields of study include finance, business administration, marketing, technology and the culinary arts. GROW U also provides partial funding of up to $5,250 per year an additional 150 additional programs in fields including art design, engineering, hospitality and human resources.
"Whether it's to pursue a new dream or advance their career with us, we care about our employees' personal and professional growth, because we believe that their futures should be grown with love, not loans," Herschend Enterprises CEO Andrew Wexler said in a press release.
"Our team members' success is our success—and that's why we're thrilled to make this benefit available to all, regardless of their role in the company and without the burden of debt," Wexler added.
Dollywood, located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, opened in 1961 as an attraction known as "Rebel Railroad." The name changed multiple times before Parton, who is from nearby Pittman Center, purchased an interest in the park in 1986 and it was rebranded as Dollywood. The park is the largest employer in Tennessee's Sevier County.
About the writer
Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ... Read more