Wild Adventures’ Employees to Receive 100% Free Tuition

VALDOSTA, Ga. – 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 February 24, 2022 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," said Jon Vigue, Wild Adventures Vice President and General Manager. "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 over 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.

 

HOW IT WORKS

 

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 their strong reputation for connecting employers and high-value learning providers to create opportunities for America’s workforce. 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,” said Vigue. “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.

 

Wild Adventures Theme Park is located at the halfway point between Atlanta, Ga. 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. Wild Adventures is ranked as the Fifth Most Affordable Theme Park in America in the Theme Park Price Index published by HomeToGo and the Top Theme Park Deal in Georgia by Yahoo! Finance.

 

Launched in 1960, Herschend Enterprises is a family of companies that focus on family entertainment. Its operating companies include Herschend Family Entertainment (Dollywood® Parks & Resorts, Silver Dollar City®, Adventure Aquarium®, Newport Aquarium®,  Kentucky Kingdom®, and Wild Adventures®), Herschend Live (Harlem Globetrotters®), Herschend Entertainment Studios (Splash & Bubbles® and Chuggington®) and Herschend Adventure Holdings, LLC (Pink Adventure Tours®). Herschend properties entertain more than 14 million guests annually. For six decades, Herschend has operated with the purpose of bringing families closer together by Creating Memories Worth Repeating®. For more information, visit www.HerschendEnterprises.com.

 

Guild Education is on a mission to unlock opportunity for America’s workforce through education and upskilling. A certified B-Corp, founded to bridge the gap between education and employment for working adults in the U.S. in need of upskilling for the future of work, Guild’s industry-leading technology platform allows the nation’s largest employers — including Bon Secours Mercy Health, Chipotle, Discover, Hilton, Macy’s, Target, Walmart and The Walt Disney Company — to offer strategic education and upskilling to their employees. Guild connects workers to a learning marketplace of the nation’s best learning partners for working adults with tuition paid by the company. Guild’s payments and technology platform, curated learning marketplace, and advanced education and career services come together to help working adult learners advance in their education and career, debt-free. For more information, visit https://www.GuildEducation.com.