"We care about our hosts' development and we want their future to grow because of love—not loans," said the President of Dollywood Company, Eugene Naughton.
Education is a vital asset, which is why Dollywood, the theme park jointly owned by Dolly Parton, announced that it will begin covering 100 percent of tuition for its employees pursuing an education.
The program officially launches on February 24, 2022 and will include fees and textbook costs. According to WZTV, the Tennessee-based theme park added that the perk is available to all employees on their first day.
This means that 11,000 seasonal, part-time, and full-time employees at Herschend Enterprises' 25 U.S. attractions, including Dollywood, can register for the GROW U pilot program, per Washington Post. Subjects offered in the higher education program include business administration and leadership, finance, marketing, technology, and culinary studies. Also, the company has pledged to provide partial funding, or up to $5,250 a year, for 150 additional programs in fields such as engineering, human resources, hospitality, and art design.
"One of The Dollywood Foundation's key tenets is to 'learn more.' This program is created with that very tenet in mind. We want our hosts to develop themselves through advanced learning to fulfill the foundation's other tenets: care more, dream more, and be more," said the President of Dollywood Company, Eugene Naughton.
Breaking Good News Alert:
— Goodable (@Goodable) February 9, 2022
Dolly Parton's Dollywood Parks & Resorts has announced it will pay all tuition costs, fees, and books for employees who pursue higher education.
It includes all part-time, full-time, and seasonal employees from day one on the job.
♥️🎶 pic.twitter.com/wDiqecVgdq
"When our hosts strive to grow themselves, it makes our business and our community a truly better place," Naughton added. "We care about our hosts' development and we want their future to grow because of love—not loans."
“She’s very supportive of the employees learning and continuing to grow themselves,” Wes Ramey, a spokesman for Dollywood Co., added.
This move was widely celebrated by fans of Parton, as big companies have been cutting back on tuition costs in a bid to limit expenditure, but employers are starting to again offer education-related incentives, hoping that it would attract motivated workers and get them to stay longer.
Dollywood—which is located in Pigeon Forge, Tenn—itself is going to undergo a few changes and expand, as the 75-year-old singer announced in the summer of 2021. At the time, Parton said her namesake theme park would be constructing a new resort as a part of a half-billion-dollar investment plan. "That's a lot of dough," said Parton.
News from @Dollywood : "Dollywood Parks & Resorts today announced it will cover 100% of tuition, fees and books for any employee who chooses to pursue further education." Program to launch 2/24 for all seasonal, PT, FT employees, & they can enroll day 1 of their employment.
— Josh Smith (@JoshSmithWJHL) February 8, 2022
Parton, who was named one of PEOPLE's People of the Year in 2021, also opened up about her latest endeavors: a beauty business and fragrance, a new (and already Emmy-winning) production deal with Netflix, and a book she co-authored with James Patterson which will be out on March 7.
"I keep dreaming myself into a corner!" Parton told PEOPLE. "But I can't stop now. I've learned you can't just say, 'Oh, my dream's come true and I'm walking out of here.' No, you've got to show you're grateful and show that you're not going to just leave it all in the hands of other people."
She added, "So, I'm going to be right here, doing what I'm doing, 'til I fall over dead."
References:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/02/09/dolly-parton-dollywood-tuition-education/
https://people.com/country/dolly-parton-people-of-the-year-2021-giving-back-being-boss/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Rick Diamond
