Dollar General Expands Education Benefits with Paid Degrees

Employees can also access affordable degrees and reimbursement for eligible educational expenses to gain professional and personal development. Full-time employees with Dollar General can utilize a yearly tuition assistance allocation to fund completing or starting a new degree program at a higher education institution of their choice. This process is also managed through Workforce Edge, which is powered by Strategic Education. The tuition assistance program became available April 4.

The news comes as the retail industry has faced a tighter labor market, with retailers increasing benefits and upping wages in an effort to recruit and retain employees. Walmart recently expanded its education benefits to include coverage for tuition and books for certain college programs.

While Dollar General is offering employer-paid degrees from Strayer University and Capella University to its full-time employees, all employees and their families will also have access to Sophia Learning, an online, on-demand, self-paced learning platform with general education courses. 

Workforce Edge will act as Dollar General’s portal for these education benefits, where the tuition assistance benefits will be administered and disbursed. The partnership with Workforce Edge will also help Dollar General better understand this new education investment, the retailer said.

The benefits also come as Dollar General aims to add 10,000 new jobs this year. That’s roughly a 6% increase in its workforce. The retailer is planning to add 1,100 new stores in 2022, including approximately 100 stores under its pOpshelf brand.