McDonald : CCO Robert Gibbs Talks Education and Workforce Skills at USCM

Archways Roadshow Arrives in Boston for the US Conference of Mayors

Robert Gibbs Discuss Education Benefits, Workforce Training with America's Mayors

On Saturday, Chief Communication Officer Robert Gibbs had the honor of joining Mayors from across the country at the US Conference of Mayors Summer Meeting in Boston, MA. While there, Robert met with Mayors one on one from Baltimore to Los Angeles to South Bend to talk about how Mayors and McDonald's can work together to bring positive impact to the communities where we live and work.

At the heart of McDonald's mission to continue to use its Scale for Good is the Archways to Opportunity program, which now offers tuition assistance to 400,000 eligible employees across the US.

As the economy continues to change and evolve with new technologies, innovation and automation, a different set of skills will be required for tomorrow's workforce. Along with South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigeg, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, and VP of Public Policy and Strategic Communications for Postmates Vikrum Aiyer, Robert participated in a panel discussion on Workforce Training in the Age of Automation, highlighting McDonald's recent announcement it will invest an additional $150 million into Archways over the next five years and drop employee eligibility for the program to just three months. That means that after a summer job, employees are eligible for as much as $2,500 in tuition assistance.

As the skills gap in our most vulnerable communities threatens opportunities - especially for our youth - Mayors and McDonald's are stepping up, understanding that partnership, collaboration and problem solving are going to be key to ensuring that communities thrive. That's' why, since the announcement just eight weeks ago, nearly 20 Mayors across the US from Newark to Los Angeles to Indianapolis have partnered with us on their summer jobs programs.

Robert will take the Archways Roadshow to New Orleans this week at Jobs for the Future's Apprenticeship Forward Conference on June 12. Stay tuned for more updates!