Brandman University has added the Automobile Club of Southern California to its growing roster of participating businesses that offer highly subsidized tuition rates to its employees.
The Irvine-based nonprofit university, which strives to educate working adults and service members through flexible learning programs, will offer Auto Club employees college degrees in communications and media, legal studies, organizational leadership, and computing technology.
Students may also enroll in Brandman MyPath competency-based programs, which includes bachelor degrees in business and information technology, and allows students to attend classes at their own pace.
Chancellor Gary Brahm said that Brandman faculty and staff put a lot of effort into providing quality education to its students, and it’s “an honor” to be recognized by noted employers.
“It’s incredibly fulfilling,” he said. “The Auto Club has an award-winning learning and development department, and [the team] spent a lot of time reviewing our curriculum to make sure it’s relevant and beneficial to its employees.”
Auto Club employees—including 8,000 in the Southern California area—can start enrolling this month, and are eligible for financial assistance and scholarships. Brahm said that select programs are entirely free.
AAA’s expansive campus in Costa Mesa counts about 3,500 workers; it ranks as the No. 25 employer in OC.
“The Auto Club has a long-standing tradition of supporting ongoing career development for employees,” Auto Club President and Chief Executive John Boyle said in a statement. “Through our program with Brandman University, we’re proud to take the next step in supporting employee growth.”
Corporate Partners
Brandman, which is part of the Chapman University system, has established several notable area partnerships with local businesses in collaboration with Guild Education, a tuition reimbursement and education platform that enables students to attend college at highly discounted rates or occasionally for free.
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. in Newport Beach (NYSE: CMG) last month announced an expansion of the Chipotle Cultivate Education benefits program, in which the company will cover 100% of the costs up front for 75 types of business and technology degrees.
“As the sole California-based provider within the Chipotle Cultivate Education partnership, we look forward to welcoming Chipotle employees to the Brandman family,” Brahm said. “Our faculty, coaches and academic advisers understand the needs of working adults and are here to support them.”
Other area businesses that have partnered with Brandman via Guild Education include Irvine’s Taco Bell Corp. and Burbank’s Walt Disney Co., which is OC’s top employer with more than 30,000 workers at the Disneyland Resort.
Brandman works with more than 2,700 businesses to offer discounted tuition rates, which typically range from 1,500 per course for an associate degree to $3,345 per course for a doctorate. Its competency-based program costs $6,400 per academic year.
Other large OC employers that Brandman is working with include Discover Financial Services and Walmart Inc.
“We’re growing as a result of these partnerships,” Brahm added.
Brandman has about 24,000 students, of whom 14,000 are in programs leading to degrees, and that number is expected to keep growing.
