Pre-reading questions:
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- What is the minimum working age in your country?
- How many hours do part-timers work in your country?
Vocabulary:
I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.
- qualify /KWOL-uh-fahy/
- employer /em-PLOI-er/
- boost /boost/
- position /puh-ZISH-uhn /
- invest /in-VEST/
[verb] – to have the legal right to have or do something because of the situation you are in, or to cause someone to have such a right
He is qualified for the best student award.
[noun] – a person or company that has people who do work for wages or a salary
I have to talk with my employer this morning.
[verb] – to improve or increase something
You should think of ways to boost your business.
[noun] – a job
He got a position at a university in Oklahoma.
[verb] – to put money, effort, time, etc. into something to make a profit or get an advantage
I am going to invest money in my vegetable store.
Article reading:
Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.
Amazon (AMZN) has announced on September 9, 2021, that they will be covering the cost of four-year college tuition for around 750,000 of its hourly workers in the United States starting January. Amazon, for the first time, will pay for tuition, fees and books for warehouse, transportation and other hourly employees who want to take on bachelor’s degrees. In addition, the company will also be paying for other types of education such as high school diploma programs, General Educational Development (GED) test, and English as a Second Language (ESL) certifications for employees.
Employees who have been working at the company for at least 90 days are qualified to use the benefit, and employees must continue working part-time or full-time at Amazon while taking classes. The decision came following the efforts of other large employers such as Walmart (WMT) and Target (TGT) to boost their college benefit programs for workers. Amazon also announced that it intends to retrain 300,000 employees for higher-skilled, fast-growing jobs within the company over the next four years, going beyond the promise they made in 2019 to train 100,000 workers for new positions. “We are investing a lot of money on signing and benefits,” said Brian Olsavsky, Amazon’s chief financial officer, in a statement.
Employees who have been working at the company for at least 90 days are qualified to use the benefit, and employees must continue working part-time or full-time at Amazon while taking classes. The decision came following the efforts of other large employers such as Walmart (WMT) and Target (TGT) to boost their college benefit programs for workers. Amazon also announced that it intends to retrain 300,000 employees for higher-skilled, fast-growing jobs within the company over the next four years, going beyond the promise they made in 2019 to train 100,000 workers for new positions. “We are investing a lot of money on signing and benefits,” said Brian Olsavsky, Amazon’s chief financial officer, in a statement.
Comprehension questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them based on the article.
- What will Amazon be covering?
- What other types of education will Amazon be covering?
- Who are qualified to use the benefit?
- What did Walmart and Target do for their workers?
- For what purpose does Amazon intend to retrain 300,00 of its employees?
Discussion questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- Have you tried shopping on Amazon?
- Do you know anyone who works for Amazon?
- If you were an Amazon employee who is qualified to receive the benefit, how would you feel?
- Do you think it is a good decision for Amazon to retrain its employees?
- In your opinion, will Amazon’s decision attract new employees? Why or why not?