Dollywood Offers Free College to Employees

Dollywood, the theme park owned by Dolly Parton, announced it will pay for tuition, fees and books for all its employees who choose to pursue further education. The program, with funding provided by Dollywood’s parent company Herschend Enterprises, will launch on February 24. Herschend Enterprises’ said the pilot program, GROW U, will be implemented for its 11,000 employees — seasonal, part-time or full-time — across its 25 parks, including Dollywood.

The Tennessee theme park will cover 100% of employees’ tuition, fees, and books. Workers may enroll with one of 30 partnering colleges starting from their first day. The company is offering more than 100 fully-funded diploma, degree and certificate programs. It will also provide partial funding of up to $5,250 per year for 150 additional programs in fields such as hospitality, engineering, human resources and art design.

Dollywood company president Eugene Naughton said in a statement that he wants Dollywood Parks and Resorts to be the “best possible experience for both our guests and our hosts. “One of The Dollywood Foundation’s key tenets is to learn more. This program is created with that very tenet in mind. We want our hosts to develop themselves through advanced learning to fulfill the foundation’s other tenets: care more, dream more, and be more,” Naughton said.

Located in the Great Smoky Mountains, Dollywood advertises itself as “the friendliest theme park in the world.” The theme park has roller coasters, water attractions, an eagle sanctuary, a classic Southern-styled resort, cabins, and an extravagant dinner show, “Stampede,” which pairs a four-course meal with horse-riding stunts and musical entertainment.

The 2022 operating season runs March through December and Dollywood is hiring part- and full-time employees as well as peak-season workers. There are job openings on culinary, retail, and park operations teams. The park also employs entertainers — urging “talented singers and expressive actors” to apply. Hiring events for the upcoming season are taking place at high schools and churches in the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee area. Applicants must be 14 years of age or older.

Herschend CEO Andrew Wexler said in a statement “Our team members’ success is our success. Whether it’s to pursue a new dream or advance their career with us, we care about our employees’ personal and professional growth, because we believe that their futures should be grown with love, not loans.”