Would you like fries with that high school credit?

U.K. students to get credit for working at McDonald’s

A McJob in the United Kingdom could start to pay off in more ways than one for some high school students.

The British government recently announced that McDonald’s employees trained in skills needed to run the fast food outlets can get credit toward their high school diplomas, however, it will be up to colleges and universities to decide whether or not to accept the corporate qualifications.

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, a government education regulator, gave McDonald’s and two other large companies the power to award advanced high-school qualification equivalencies as a plan to improve young people’s skills.

The fast-food chain, rail infrastructure firm Network Rail Ltd. and regional airline Flybe Ltd. have been given the power to develop courses and set exams up to the standard of A-levels – the exams that determine college and university admission.

“This is an important step towards ending the old divisions between company training schemes and national qualifications, something that will benefit employees, employers and the country as a whole,” the government’s skills minister John Denham told the Associated Press.

McDonald’s is introducing a “basic shift manager” course that will train staff in skills, such as marketing and customer service, needed to run a McDonald’s outlet.

However, teachers unions aren’t happy about the new scheme. While the University and College Union supports transferable qualifications, it is concerned the qualifications from McDonald’s, Network Rail and Flybe are too narrow and specific to be appropriate for college and university programs.

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