Andrew Phinisee is working at Amazon's Chattanooga distribution center in the returns department today, but his future may be in computer-aided design.
Phinisee, 32, is taking the CAD coursework at a new dedicated classroom the company has built inside its sprawling Enterprise South industrial park facility.
He said he probably would have taken the class at Chattanooga State Community College if it hadn't been offered at Amazon, but having it on-site makes it handy and saves on transportation.
Amazon on Tuesday officially rolled out its new classroom as it expands a program that pre-pays 95 percent of employees' tuition for classes in high-demand fields, regardless of whether those skills are relevant to jobs at the online retailer.
Chattanooga State President Dr. Flora Tydings said the college, which is providing instructors, "will go where the students are." She termed the company's Career Choice tuition program and on-site classroom "an impressive opportunity" for the employees.
Amazon now employs about 3,000 people at its Chattanooga distribution center, and it hasn't yet started hiring for temporary slots for the Christmas holiday.
Amazon spokeswoman Nina Lindsey said the dedicated classroom is the eighth that the online retailer has opened at its nationwide distribution center network.
"They're fitting [employees'] work and personal schedules," she said. "The associates like it."
Lindsey said the company can adjust work schedules to help employees have the time to take the classes.
While Amazon has offered coursework in the center in the past, the new classroom provides high-end technology features for the students. Lindsey said the classroom has glass walls aimed at inspiring other employees to participate and generate encouragement from peers.
As envisioned, employees will use the classroom to participate in college classes, industry certifications courses, college readiness programs and business skill seminars. In Chattanooga and at its Charleston, Tenn., center, courses have ranged from health care related studies to commercial driving, blueprint reading and CAD.
"It's the same class they'd get if they go to a college campus," Lindsay said.
She said the company is continuing to expand its Career Choice program nationally. While it doesn't have dedicated class space at Charleston facility, the company does offer coursework, she said.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said in a statement that intentional partnerships like the one with Amazon play a key role in the state's Drive to 55 initiative. That initiative's aim is to increase the percent of Tennesseans with a degree or certificate beyond high school from 32 to 55 percent by 2025.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.