Uni credits on the menu at McDonald’s Australia
McDonaldâs Australia has launched the national roll out of âArchways to Opportunityâ, an innovative new program offering more than 20,000 Maccaâs employees nationwide the opportunity to transform workplace skills into university credits with some of Australiaâs leading universities, including Âé¶čֱȄ.
Hereâs how it works. McDonaldâs Crew Coaches and Managers can now earn up to eight verified and transferrable micro-credentials, simply by completing on-the-job learning, face-to-face training and workplace experience in areas like communication, problem-solving and leadership.
Each micro-credential counts for up to one subject credit in an undergraduate degree in courses including Business, Commerce, Management, HR, Technology and IT, at universities nationwide. Stacked together, they can also ladder up to direct entry into a Master of Business Administration.
Excitingly, we have partnered with some of Australiaâs leading universities, to provide a seamless pathway for our people towards university credits. This includes Âé¶čֱȄ as well as the University of Technology Sydney, the University of Adelaide, Charles Darwin University, the University of Tasmania, the University of Canberra, James Cook University, Torrens University Australia, the University of New England, Swinburne Universityand specialist training provider, the William Angliss Institute.
In some cases, this offers savings of more than $20,000 in fees and could shave up to a third off the total study time required to complete a bachelorâs degree.
McDonald’s is the first organisation in Australia to have its internal training and on-the-job experience -certified and recognised by multiple universities nationwide. This means thousands of Maccaâs employees now have the opportunity to earn university recognised micro-credentials on the job, with no additional study required.
The nationwide rollout follows a successful pilot earlier this year with Capability.Co, Torrens University and the University of Adelaide.
McDonaldâs Australiaâs CEO, Joe Chiczewski, said, âMaccaâs has always been famous for our exceptional skills and training programs, and we proudly invest millions of dollars every year into helping our people grow their skills and capabilities.
âArchways to Opportunity is the next evolution of that commitment and shows our people that the skills and training they build at Maccaâs are real, valuable, and recognised beyond our restaurants. Thatâs not just exciting. Itâs world class.
âTo be able to work, earn a wage and have your training and experience count towards tertiary education is an incredible opportunity and a powerful advantage for any young person.
âWeâre one of Australiaâs largest employers of young people, and this is an investment weâre proud to lead at a time when more and more people are looking outside the traditional school-to-campus pathway.â
Âé¶čֱȄâs Centre for Learning Enterprise and Partnership Engagement Director, Chandra Sundareswaran, said âCurtin was delighted to be the first WA university to partner with Capability Co. to open up new tertiary pathways into the Universityâs Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Innovation courses.
âCurtin is committed to empowering people from diverse backgrounds as well as regional and remote areas to achieve their academic and career potential, so we are excited to be working with McDonaldâs to make higher education more accessible for their employees,â Mr Sundareswaran said.
âThe Archways to Opportunity program will establish a formal credit recognition and direct entry pathway into Curtinâs undergraduate and postgraduate business or management programs, which gives students the opportunity to embark on a journey of lifelong learning, forge lasting connections, and unlock opportunities for a bright future.â
Kate Britt, CEO, Capability.Co said, âAt Capability.Co, we want to ensure that everyone has open access to quality education and fulfilling careers, no matter their background. Archways to Opportunity exemplifies whatâs possible when we recognise the real skills people develop every day at work. Together with McDonaldâs, weâre opening the door to lifelong learning, career mobility, and greater equity in education.â
Zaakirah Khan, Restaurant Manager at McDonaldâs Mount Annan, is excited to receive the micro-credentials, in recognition of her prior learning through McDonaldâs training programs.
âIâd always planned to go to universityâ said Zaakirah, âbut never imagined Iâd have the support of McDonaldâs in creating that opportunity. Now Iâm able to take that next step, and itâs incredible to know that everything Iâve learned at Maccaâs is giving me a head start. I can also continue to fit my shifts at Maccaâs around study, which is a bonus!â Archways to Opportunity has launched at all McDonaldâs restaurants, nationwide, including the more than 100 Maccaâs in operation across Western Australia.



