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The fast-food giant solidifies its commitment to learning, and at 50, shows no signs of slowing down.
In 1961, Fred Turner, McDonald's former senior chairman and Ray Krocs first grill man, founded Hamburger University in the basement of a McDonald's restaurant in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, making McDonald's the first restaurant organization to open a full-time training center. That year 14 students graduated with the first Bachelor of Hamburgerology degrees. Today, on average, 5,000 students attend the U.S. Hamburger University (H. U.) each year, and more than 90,000 restaurant managers, middle managers, and owner-operators have graduated from H.U. This month, McDonald's will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the fabled school.
"For 50 years, H.U. has contributed to McDonald's success by fostering career and education opportunities for employees," says Diana Thomas, vice president of U.S. training, learning, and development. McDonald's long-standing commitment to training not only supports important business strategies, such as The Plan to Win, but "it provides the opportunity to get a college degree to employees who might not otherwise have the chance."
Working at McDonald's is a career that can include running, or even owning, a multimillion dollar business. "We are developing restaurant managers to run, on average, $2.5 milliona-year businesses," says Thomas. H.U. is a global center for operations training and leadership development, emphasizing consistent restaurant operations procedures, service, quality, and cleanliness. "Our training mission is to be the best talent developer of people committed to those values," says Thomas.
"It was always Ray Kroc's vision and passion to invest in our talent," adds Thomas. "We continue to uphold and honor his philosophy on training, development, and talent. A strong focus on people is part of our strategic plan. We clearly understand the importance of training in providing our customers with consistently great experiences. And it makes good business sense!"
Thomas cites three reasons why H.U. has continued to thrive for 50 years:
* The university has long enjoyed strong top-down support starting with Kroc and continuing to the present with leaders who keep people development a top priority, never a "flavor of the month."
* The university is centered on what internal and external customers need and adjusts to meet those needs.
* The university embraces innovation.
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