Wild Adventure will cover education costs for employees
Special Photo: Wild Adventure
From staff reports
VALDOSTA — Herschend Enterprises, Wild Adventure Theme Park’s parent company and the nation’s largest privately-owned themed attractions corporation, has announced it will cover 100 percent of tuition, fees and books for all 11,000 employees who choose to pursue further education. The significant investment in employee education will be made through Herschend’s GROW U, a new program that aims to make it exponentially easier for employees at all levels to pursue their personal and professional dreams through education.
Herschend’s GROW U officially launches Thursday for all seasonal, part-time and full-time employees at Wild Adventures and across Herschend’s 25 U.S. attractions.
“We care deeply about our team members’ desire for personal and professional growth, which is why Wild Adventures has always been a great place to work for anyone looking to gain experience, advance their careers or further their education,” Jon Vigue, Wild Adventures’ vice president and general manager, said. “We are extremely happy to make this benefit available to all of our team members, regardless of their role in the company, because we believe their futures should be grown with love and without the burden of loans.”
Wild Adventures is currently looking to hire more than 500 team members for the park’s 2022 season. Herschend’s GROW U will be available to all new team members beginning on their first day of employment.
Herschend’s GROW U offers 11,000 eligible seasonal, part-time and full-time employees more than 100 fully-funded (100% free) diploma, degree and certificate programs across 30 learning partners in Guild’s Learning Marketplace, including programs in high-demand fields such as business administration and leadership, culinary, finance, technology and marketing. Additionally, the company will provide partial funding up to $5,250/year, for 150 additional programs in fields including hospitality, engineering, human resources and art design.
Herschend Enterprises selected Guild Education, the nation’s leading education and upskilling platform, to power Herschend’s GROW U because of its strong reputation for connecting employers and high-value learning providers to create opportunities for America’s work force. Herschend employees will have access to Guild’s proprietary Learning Marketplace to select from more than 30 learning providers and utilize resources like professional coaches to support their educational journey.
“GROW U will allow our team members to choose from a variety of online education providers,” Vigue said. “We have been discussing this new program with our partners at Valdosta State University, and they are reviewing the Guild platform and researching the feasibility of becoming one of the learning providers available to our team members.”
For more information about Herschend, GROW U and how to apply for open positions at Wild Adventures, visit WildAdventures.com/Jobs.
Wild Adventures Theme Park is one of the area’s largest employers and a strong economic driver of tourism for the region. When fully staffed, the park employs more than 800 people from seven surrounding counties and two states and spends millions each year in labor.
The park is located at the halfway point between Atlanta and Orlando, Fla., off Interstate 75 and is home to more than 40 family and thrill rides, hundreds of exotic animals, dozens of concerts and special events each year and Splash Island Waterpark, named as one of the “Top 30 Waterparks” in the country by U.S. News and World Report.
Author
Related Articles
Southwest Georgia artists recognized at packed opening of exhibition
The annual juried exhibition, one of the region’s largest showcases of visual art, features approximately 46 artists and nearly 90 works spanning painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography and mixed media.
Powerful performances drive Theatre Albany’s ‘The Color Purple’
From the street, strands of purple ribbon wind around the white columns of the historic theater, hinting at the story waiting beyond its doors. Inside the foyer, a carefully curated slideshow flickers across a large screen, cycling through the faces of the cast. Some are seasoned performers. Others are stepping onto a stage for the very first time. Teachers stand alongside former students. Parents perform beside their children. People who worship in different churches, work different jobs and come from different corners of Southwest Georgia gather beneath the same lights to tell the same story.
Annual exhibition showcases southwest Georgia talent, community connections
Now in its 26th year, the exhibition features work by artists from across Southwest Georgia and offers residents an opportunity to engage directly with the area’s creative community.
