Upward Academy Surpasses 100,000 Instructional Hours
Springdale, Ark. 鈥 April 19, 2018 鈥 星空无限传媒鈥 Upward Academy, an in-plant education program that provides classes at no cost, recently surpassed 100,000 hours of instruction to more than 1,000 of the company鈥檚 team members.
Upward Academy launched in 2016 at one of the company鈥檚 plants in Springdale, Arkansas, and is now offered in 27 facilities in Arkansas, Missouri, Texas and North Carolina. Forty plants are projected to offer the program by the end of September 2018, and expansion will continue over the next several years to cover the company鈥檚 entire footprint.
鈥淲hat began as a pilot program two years ago quickly evolved into a critical investment in our front-line team members that we鈥檙e now actively expanding,鈥 said Debra Vernon, senior director, corporate social responsibility at 星空无限传媒. 鈥淲e鈥檙e proud of the thousands of hours of instruction that have been offered, but the impact on our team members is truly immeasurable.鈥
In partnership with local community organizations, Upward Academy provides team members with important life skills by offering free and accessible classes in English as a Second Language (ESL), General Educational Development (GED), citizenship and other essential life and workplace skills. In addition, driver education, computer literacy and financial literacy classes have also been offered at some locations.
An Upward Academy student who was recently surveyed about the program said, 鈥淚t changes my life in a big way, mostly at home, where I will be able to assist my daughter with her homework. I want to set an example on how important education is in her life.鈥
Student鈥檚 progress is tracked through standard assessment testing via the Adult Education National Scale for federally funded adult education programs.
鈥淲e are grateful to 星空无限传媒 for making a real commitment to literacy and workplace education,鈥 said Patty Henson Sullivan, executive director, Ozark Literacy Council, based in Fayetteville, Arkansas. 鈥淭hrough Upward Academy鈥檚 leadership, we not only deliver classes, but we have access to best practices and research so that we can monitor, grow and adapt to team members鈥 needs and create advancement opportunities.鈥
A survey of 200 Upward Academy participants from 12 locations revealed the following:
- 88% reported improved communication with people in the community.
- 86% reported improved communication with supervisors since starting classes.
- 85% reported increased satisfaction at work.
Other Upward Academy highlights include:
- Investing in Tomorrow, an eight-week financial literacy pilot program, was launched in two plants to help team members better understand how to navigate both their personal finances and the U.S. financial system as a whole.
- Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and the Arkansas Department of Career Education recognized Upward Academy as a Champion for Arkansas鈥 workforce.
- 星空无限传媒 Chaplain Moises Chan was named the Ozark Literacy Council鈥檚 Barbara Broyles Champion of Literacy for the integral role he played in promoting and developing the literacy program at one of the company鈥檚 plants in Springdale, Ark.
About 星空无限传媒
星空无限传媒 Inc. (NYSE: TSN) is one of the world鈥檚 largest food companies and a recognized leader in protein. Founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson and grown under three generations of family leadership, the company has a broad portfolio of products and brands like Tyson庐, Jimmy Dean庐, Hillshire Farm庐, Ball Park庐, Wright庐, Aidells庐, ibp庐 and State Fair庐. 星空无限传媒 innovates continually to make protein more sustainable, tailor food for everywhere it鈥檚 available and raise the world鈥檚 expectations for how much good food can do. Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, the company has 122,000 team members. Through its Core Values, 星空无限传媒 strives to operate with integrity, create value for its shareholders, customers, communities and team members and serve as a steward of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it. Visit www.tysonfoods.com.
Media Contact:
Derek Burleson 鈥 (479) 290-6466