Irvine, Calif. (Nov. 8, 2016) – With new restaurants comes new jobs. Taco Bell recently announced its plans to grow as a system to 8,000 U.S. locations (9,000 globally) by the end of 2022, opening the door of opportunity for 100,000 new jobs in the U.S. alone. Add that to the company’s current 40,000 employees across its company-owned stores and 170,000 people employed by franchise restaurants, and you could say Taco Bell has come a long way since Glen Bell single-handedly opened his first taco stand in 1962.

“Our planned growth over the next six years is going to help us reach $15 billion in global system sales by 2022,” said Brian Niccol, Chief Executive Officer at Taco Bell. “With that comes the need to attract and retain top talent so that we’re continuing to deliver the best customer experience possible.”

Earlier this month, Taco Bell officially launched “Start with Us, Stay with Us,” a platform and mentality to set Taco Bell apart as a category of one, and one that encourages employees to leverage the career-building and education programs Taco Bell offers no matter how long you’ve been with, or plan to stay with, the company.

“We understand that Taco Bell is a first job for a lot of people,” said Frank Tucker, Chief People Officer at Taco Bell. “Whether they want to start with us for a year or stay with us for life, we feel it’s our responsibility to make sure we’re offering benefits and programs that create innovators and leaders for our communities inside and out of our restaurants.”

Also launched earlier this month, Taco Bell has partnered with Roadtrip Nation to capture the stories and career paths of current employees and alumni of Taco Bell.

Employees, current and prospective, can see real steps of how to get to their goal position, whether that’s managing an entire Taco Bell restaurant, working in the award-winning marketing department at headquarters, or taking skills to another industry altogether.

“As a business that’s fueled by the energy and passion of people serving people, our team members are our front line and biggest brand ambassadors,” said Tucker. “It’s often a job that kickstarts someone’s career and future success, so we’re excited to team up with Roadtrip Nation to inspire and show our team members how these invaluable skills can get them to their highest aspirations in life.”

Taco Bell was founded on innovation and passion with Glen Bell bringing tacos to the masses in a world of hot dog and hamburger stands. Employees want a company they can live and grow with; they crave a unique culture that fosters creativity and encourages pursuit of passion, and they look for opportunities to take risks, develop skills and learn in ways that fit their lifestyle.

Education
Taco Bell offers significant education programs to allow company restaurant employees the opportunity to graduate from high school, obtain their GED and even advance their education with Excelsior College.

• Graduate for Mas - The Taco Bell Foundation and Get Schooled partnered to develop a program where youth that make the promise to graduate receive access to resources, mentorship support, prizes, and cool rewards like educational scholarships.
 o To date, nearly 600,000 youth have made the promise.
• GED Certification Program - Taco Bell has teamed up with GED Testing Services to give restaurant team members that are no longer in and have not graduated from high school the opportunity to prep and test for a GED at a discounted price.
 o 57 team members have graduated with their GED from this program, with more than 200 currently participating.
• Taco Bell Excelsior Program – In partnership with Excelsior College, an accredited nonprofit institution, Taco Bell offers flexible online degree options at a discounted price for its team members and their immediate family, including:
 o A 40% tuition discount for a fully accredited Associate’s, Bachelor’s or graduate degree programs.
 o Up to 44 college credits towards their degree by completing restaurant on-the-job training.
 o $1,000 scholarships awarded to Taco Bell Students (2 for every 25 students enrolled).
 o Ability to transfer up to 96 percent of credits needed to complete a Bachelor’s degree with the program.

Additionally, funding for education up to $5,250 per employee/year is available for Corporate (and participating Franchise) Shift Leads and above, including employees at Taco Bell’s corporate headquarters.

All of these programs are available for franchisees to offer as well, and many of them choose to do so for their employees.

Currently, 194 team members are enrolled in classes through the Excelsior Program, and three have graduated with more set to graduate this coming spring.

Live Mas Scholarship
The Live Más Scholarship is aimed at empowering the nation’s next generation of dreamers, innovators and creators – those whose passions may not fit into the conventional “academic” or “athletic” scholarship programs. This year, the Taco Bell Foundation launched the Live Más Scholarship and awarded $275,000 in scholarship funding to 50 restaurant employees.

Leadership
Known as a leader in the fast food industry for its training programs, Taco Bell offers unparalleled leadership development experiences to provide the necessary tools and techniques to help restaurant leadership become their personal and professional best. Not a one-size-fits-all model, training programs are designed and catered to help employees at all levels learn how to best grow in that role, as well as key take-aways for any career. In the last year alone, Taco Bell has promoted more than 2,000 company store employees into management roles.

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words; this one is worth 1,287 – check out the infographic here.

About Taco Bell Foundation
Taco Bell Foundation, Inc. is a not for profit 501(c) (3) public benefit corporation with the founded focus of investing in the potential of America’s youth through education and helping them realize their dreams. Since 1992, the Foundation has reached more than 5 million young people across 600 youth-serving organizations and about 1,700 high schools in the U.S. through partnerships and programs like GraduateforMas.com, and has awarded more than $75 million in scholarships and grants focused on education and career readiness. In 2016, Taco Bell and the Taco Bell Foundation launched the Live Más Scholarship, a program aimed at empowering the nation’s next generation of dreamers, innovators and creators – those whose passions don’t fall into the conventional “academic” or “athletic” qualifying categories of traditional scholarship programs. For more information visit tacobellfoundation.org.