Pretty sweet deal: Estee Lauder forms partnership with Bucks County college
It’s a beautiful day in the Bristol Township neighborhood where Bucks County Community College and nearby cosmetics firm Estee Lauder Companies have formed a partnership.
The college will educate employees for the cosmetics firm and, in return, Estee Lauder will pay the tuition for the students in the Estee Lauder Supply Chain Scholars program, both at BCCC and as they continue their education at the Fox School of Business at Temple University.
When they graduate from Temple with a four-year degree, the students will then work for Estee Lauder for two years.
They only have to pay tuition for their initial semester at the community college when they are being evaluated for the program. If accepted, they won't owe tuition for the remainder of their college education in the growing field of supply chain management. And once they start working for Estee Lauder, they can receive employee discounts on cosmetic products.
“There’s so many great benefits for working for the company and having a job after I graduate,” said Adrienne Allen of Bristol Township, who has been accepted into the program.
Priyal Patel of Bensalem said knowing she will get a college education without the “burden” of paying back tuition drew her to apply.
“The benefits are amazing,” said Sara Miller of Morrisville. “It says a lot about Estee Lauder.”
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Greg Luce, the BCCC interim dean of the Business and Innovation Department, said the new program is now teaching its first cohort of seven students, and plans to add several more. He said the need for workers educated in supply management became apparent during the pandemic when people began to shop more from home and vital products still needed to be manufactured and delivered to hospitals, supermarkets and other essential businesses.
“Any company that manufactures products needs a supply chain,” Luce said, and the field of managing it, once called logistics, is now in high demand among employers. He said a starting salary for someone with a college degree in this field ranges from $65,000 or more a year. He said the job description includes both the ability to analyze data and to work well with other people.
Largest corporate donation
Estee Lauder has six facilities in Bucks County and is gifting the college with its single largest corporate donation of $200,000, to be used to support the scholars program.
“It is an honor to partner with The Estée Lauder Companies to unlock new academic and hands-on learning opportunities for our students,” said BCCC President Felicia L. Ganther.
Tracy Timby, the college’s interim associate vice president for Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Innovation, explained the collaborative partnership of Estee Lauder Companies with BCCC and Temple University has built a "high school to supervisor" program for a diverse local talent pool of young adults.
Applying for the program
“It’s a pretty arduous application process,” she said, to be admitted to the program, as students need to prepare their resume and participate in interviews. But admitted students know that when they graduate, they won’t have to worry about where they will work and paying off their tuition. This will give them a head start on reaching other goals in life.
“It’s a very different way for higher education to put the employer front and center to highlight jobs and careers and then teach skills to get into the career,” Timby said.
For more information on the BCCC's Supply Chain Scholars program, visit https://www.bucks.edu/academics/department/business/estee-lauder-scholars-program/.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: A sweet partnership: Estee Lauder, Bucks college and Temple University
