Chipotle has been far from idle in its efforts to win what chief restaurant officer Scott Boatwright called the industry’s “talent crisis” earlier in the year. In June, Chipotle launched a crew bonus program that offered hourly employees the chance to earn up to an extra month’s pay each year. By August, the fast casual said more than 2,600 workers across 135 restaurants qualified to earn an extra week of pay, and if teams met certain criteria, such as predetermined sales as well as cashflow and throughput goals every quarter, they were still on track to take home the full month’s bonus, calculated as an individual’s average weekly pay per quarter.

On Tuesday, the brand debuted another bold perk that speaks to one of its long-standing benefits—education assistance. The chain said it will now provide the opportunity for all eligible employees, including crew members, to pursue debt-free college degrees through an expansion of its Chipotle Cultivate Education platform.

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The brand will cover 100 percent of tuition costs up front for 75 different types of business and technology degrees via partner Guild Education.

Chipotle is doing so, it said, “to give employees the chance to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in the evolving 21st century job market.”

After 120 days of employment, workers become eligible to pursue degrees from nonprofit accredited universities, including The University of Arizona, Bellevue University, Brandman University, Southern New Hampshire University, and Wilmington University.

"Chipotle recognizes that financial barriers can be one of the biggest obstacles that impede our employees from achieving their fullest potential," said Marissa Andrada, Chipotle’s chief people officer, in a statement. "We are proud to launch this opportunity for debt-free degrees by providing free tuition to help our employees excel in all areas in their lives, both in and out of Chipotle."

"This expansion of Chipotle's Cultivate Education benefits program to cover 100 percent tuition costs upfront for degrees in business and technology represents the company's commitment to upskilling its workforce and helping employees achieve their professional goals," added Rachel Carlson, Guild Education CEO and co-founder.

The debt-free degree program builds on Chipotle’s current offering, which includes an existing tuition reimbursement program that has provided more than $20 million in tuition assistance over the past two years. It allows workers to be reimbursed up to $5,250 a year at the school of their choice.

Guild Education said 63 percent of students enrolled in the program are first-generation college students and 86 percent have reported feeling that they need additional education to achieve professional goals. Chipotle added that employees accessing its Cultivate Education suite have higher retention rates than non-participating employees. In 2018, Chipotle promoted more than 13,000 of its employees.