In a California county where it is already the largest employer, Amazon is funding high school classes that teach students how to work there.
According to documents provided to Motherboard, students at San Bernardino's Cajon High School have been offered a series of courses sponsored by the company. The courses teach how to motivate employees without giving them raises, while also increasing worker efficiency.
The $50,000 grant was given to the school to help the teachers establish and develop an effective industry partnership with Amazon, according to the documents obtained by Motherboard. Students who enroll in the classes are required to do work-based internships at different companies.
The location of the school is just as troubling as the location of the fulfillment centers is. The region's employee count has doubled in the past four years.
While these types of business-sponsored classes are not unusual, it is striking that Amazon is offering grants to kids living in a region where the cost of living is high, while the proportion of Amazon employees relying on government assistance is just as high.
Beyond just driving home Amazon's values and customer obsession.
It is an unnerving thing to teach high school kids about the company's anti-union stance.
The classroom was designed to emulate the inside of an Amazon factory, according to the journalist who reported on it last year.
Students were encouraged to wear polos that looked like uniforms.
On a class wall, Amazon’s giant logo grinned across a yellow and green banner. The words “CUSTOMER OBSESSION” and “DELIVER RESULTS” were painted against a corporate-style yellow backdrop. Each teenager wore a company golf shirt emblazoned with the Amazon logo.
— Erika Hayasaki (@ErikaHayasaki) February 18, 2021
The courses described in the documents are as questionable as the military recruiting at high schools. Reports reveal how recruiters target students from poor background.
Eric Nilsson is an economics professor at Cal State University San Bernardino.
It is not Amazon's first venture into education, but it is unique in that it teaches students about how to work for Amazon.
It is very similar to the black comedy Sorry to Bother You, but instead of company towns, Amazon is building company education.
We can say we weren't warned.
Amazon paid for a high school course. Here's what they teach. Vice Motherboard.
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