On Monday, December 11th, leading education benefits company, Guild Education, announced that it would be partnering with Lyft to help their drivers in the New York City area further their education. This program will give drivers access to personalized college advising and tuition discounts from over 80 online non-profit universities and other educational platforms.
Drivers will be able to work towards earning Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees as well as other tech-based certificates.There is also the option to take other GED vocational courses and English-as-a-second-language. Guild and Lyft are going the extra mile with this program to help create a perfect balance between time on the job while learning skills to help them advance their lives and future careers.
This program further expands on rideshare companies like Lyft’s philosophy to put the power in the hands of their drivers. “We know many Lyft drivers are driving toward personal goals, which often include continued education and learning,” says Vipul Patel, Lyft New York General Manager, “every day, drivers around New York help us get to where we’re going. This program will help them to get where they’re going.”
Drivers who enroll in this program are expected to receive tuition discounts up to “$4,220 per year, for an average savings of $16,880 by the time they earn their degree”. This will help to make sure that drivers looking to change careers will not be bogged down with crippling debt once they earn their degrees.
As Rachel Carlson, the Co-founder, and CEO of Guild Education sees it, Lyft is the perfect partnership for this kind of far-reaching program. "Education has never been more important for working adults than it is today. An increasing number of post-recession jobs require a college education, but at the same time, student loan debt has risen to $1.3 trillion. Our partnership with Lyft is an opportunity to provide so many working adults with the flexibility, access, and support that will help them advance their education," says Carlson "at Guild, we're thrilled to be working with a global leader like Lyft who's deeply committed to their drivers. This partnership marks the start of a new era for the modern workforce."
