McDonald’s Corporation has recently kicked off a year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of Hamburger University (HU), its signature training and education facility.
In 1961, HU began in a McDonald’s restaurant basement in Elk Grove Village, Ill with 15 graduates in the first class. In the five decades since, HU has grown into a world-class global centre of excellence to develop and train employees and establish consistent restaurant standards around the globe. To date, more than 2,75,000 McDonald’s franchisees, employees and suppliers have graduated from HU worldwide.
In 1983, McDonald’s opened a $40-mn Global HU campus in Oak Brook. In addition to the Oak Brook HU, there are six international campuses: Tokyo (1971), London (1981), Sydney (1989), Munich (1982), São Paolo (1996) and Shanghai (2010). Hamburger Universities have 64 full-time global college professors on staff, and the ability to teach in 28 languages at our Oak Brook HU.
“Our people are the foundation of what we do in the restaurant,” said Jim Skinner, CEO, McDonald’s. “Their talent and passion drive our business, and we are committed to fostering their growth and success.” “Hamburger University is an investment in our future where we challenge highly motivated, dedicated people and provide them with training and experience,” said Fred Turner, honorary chairman, McDonald’s .
HU offers restaurant manager curriculum, a mid-management leadership curriculum, and programs for executive development.
In 1996, McDonald’s launched its Leadership Institute, which supports the company’s goal to develop a deep bench of talent around the world.
McDonald’s is the only active quick service restaurant to receive college credit recommendations from the American Council on Education’s College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT), the major coordinating body for all the nation’s higher education institutions. ACE has reviewed 100 percent of the restaurant management and mid-management curriculum for college credit – a total of 50 credit recommendations.
– IndiaRetailing Bureau
