Forget Mcjobs – now you can take away a KFC degree

KFC is to become the first fast-food chain in Britain to pay its staff to study for a Bachelor of Arts degree while working full-time.

The firm has announced that workers can apply to study for an honours course in business management from January.

Including bonuses, managers will be able to earn up to £68,000 a year while they pursue the KFC degree.

Every outlet’s staff room contains a computer that can be used for course work, and students will spend between 12 and 14 days each year at De Montfort University in Leicester. After graduating, they could become an area manager or work for the company’s head office.

The degree, which will take three years to complete, is part of a growing trend for companies to change their recruitment policies to reflect the increasing cost of a university education.

Rules introduced by the Coalition will raise the ceiling for tuition fees for undergraduates in England to £9,000 a year from this autumn.

One of Britain’s biggest accountancy firms, Deloitte, has already expanded its recruitment of school-leavers to avoid missing out on bright pupils who decide against going to university due to the cost.

Notably, about 35,000 of the 87,500 with ‘ McJobs’ in Britain have gained a qualification while working for McDonald’s, with options including a free foundation degree from Manchester Metropolitan University.

The chain’s UK chief executive, Jill McDonald, told a conference last year that youngsters should not feel forced into going to university to get a decent education. ‘We need to remove the snobbery that does down workplace learning,’ she said. ‘For many put off by high fees, this could and should be the route they take.’

KFC’s scheme will take on around 20 managers each year for five years. Martin Shuker, managing director for KFC UK, said it will give the company ‘an opportunity to reward some of our best performers who never had the chance to go to university when they were younger’. He added: ‘Our employees [will] gain a meaningful and respected qualification while still earning money.’

Unlike the degree offered by McDonald’s, KFC’s is not free. It will cost £9,000 for the three years – but KFC will pay half the sum.