DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 8, 2016-- Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) announced a new partnership with Guild Education to give Chipotle employees an opportunity to earn college credits and pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees. Between Chipotle’s existing tuition reimbursement program (which offers up to $5,250 per year) and an additional $5,815 in available federal grants for those who qualify, Chipotle employees can pay as little as $250 per year to go to college.

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Through the program with Guild Education, Chipotle employees can pursue undergraduate or graduate degrees, take college courses or attend graduate school at little to no cost, earn a GED, or study English as a second language. Employees have access of up to $5,250 annually in tuition reimbursement from Chipotle, and an additional $5,815 in federal grants for qualified applicants in undergraduate programs. Through these programs and the discounted tuition offered to Chipotle employees by Guild Education, many participants can complete their degree for as little as $250 per year.

“Attracting and retaining teams of top performers is one of the key drivers of our business, and we are always looking for ways to enhance the benefits we offer to help us do that,” said Monty Moran, co-CEO at Chipotle. “We’ve seen a lot of success and participation with our existing tuition reimbursement program, and through this new partnership with Guild Education, we can offer our employees even more assistance and opportunities to pursue their education.”

Guild Education offers a variety of online classes, programs and more than 30 degrees from top-ranked universities, including Colorado State University’s Global Campus, Bellevue University and Western Governors University. Chipotle employees can complete courses while also continuing to work at Chipotle.

The programs help Chipotle employees gain credit for their past college coursework and up to 44 transfer credit hours for on-the-job training in crew, kitchen manager, service manager and apprentice manager positions. Participants complete their classes online, allowing them to work at their own pace and with the support of a Guild Education personal college and career adviser who will support them throughout their program.

In addition to its tuition reimbursement program, which was expanded to include hourly employees in 2015, Chipotle offers other competitive benefits including paid sick leave and vacation for all employees, including hourly workers; health, dental and vision insurance; a 401(k) matching program; employee stock purchase program; and the opportunity for twice-annual merit increases and an annual bonus.

Chipotle employs more than 60,000 people and is constantly looking for top performers to join its team. Interested applicants can visit careers.chipotle.com for more career information.

ABOUT CHIPOTLE

Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO, started Chipotle with the idea that food served fast did not have to be a typical fast food experience. Today, Chipotle continues to offer a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere. Through our vision of Food With Integrity, Chipotle is seeking better food from using ingredients that are not only fresh, but that — where possible — are sustainably grown and raised responsibly, with respect for the animals, the land and the farmers who produce the food. In order to achieve this vision, we focus on building a special people culture that is centered on creating teams of top performers empowered to achieve high standards. This people culture not only leads to a better dining experience for our customers, it also allows us to develop future leaders from within. Chipotle opened with a single restaurant in 1993 and operates more than 2,000 restaurants, including 20 Chipotle restaurants outside the U.S. and 15 ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen restaurants, and is an investor in an entity that owns and operates three Pizzeria Locale restaurants. For more information, visit Chipotle.com.

ABOUT GUILD EDUCATION

Guild Education works with organizations to offer Education as a Strategic Benefit to their employees, with an end-to-end solution to reshape tuition reimbursement policies to aligning business goals with affordable education programs that employees love. Education as a Strategic Benefit is designed to support the goals and aspirations of employees for higher education advancement and degree completion, while improving organizations' corporate recruitment and retention efforts. Guild works with non-profit universities and learning providers to offer a consortium of classes, programs and college degrees, including Bellevue University, Western Governors University and Colorado State University's Global Campus. To learn more, visit www.GuildEducation.com.

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Source: Chipotle

Chipotle
Chris Arnold, 303-222-5912
carnold@chipotle.com