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These are the best U.S. employers for high school graduates
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Lowe’s and Walgreens are three completely different companies with one thing in common: They’re each one of the top places to work as a high school graduate.
That’s according to a new study from Harvard Business School, the Schultz Family Foundation and research firm the Burning Glass Institute which examined the hiring trends of 400 large U.S. companies, with a focus on how often those employers hire entry-level workers and promote internally.
In a statement to CBS MoneyWatch, Walgreens said it’s proud to be recognized for its “competitive wages and benefits, plus opportunities for learning and growth.”
“Being named the best place for high school graduates to start a career further validates our commitment to our team members’ development and career growth, which includes a 90% internal promotion rate goal, along with competitive compensation and world-class benefits,” Ilene Eskenazi, chief human resources officer at Chipotle, told CBS MoneyWatch. One of the company’s proudest accomplishments is that former cooks and cashiers at their restaurants now hold leadership roles, she added.
Lowe’s didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Along with Chipotle, Lowe’s and Walgreens, researchers listed Best Buy, Chewy, Foot Locker, Gap, Goodyear, PNC Financial and Starbucks among the top 10 best employers for high school graduates.
Growing frustration over cost of college
A larger pool of job candidates without college degrees may be entering the labor market as Americans have grown increasingly frustrated with the rising cost of higher education. A July poll from Gallup and the Lumina Foundation found that Americans believe the U.S. higher education system is headed in the “wrong direction.”
At the same time, opportunities for high school graduates are increasing as one in three U.S. companies have eliminated bachelor’s degree requirements from some job postings this year, according to college prep company Intelligent.
Careers in retail have become a strong pathway to upward mobility, the Burning Glass researchers said, noting that Home Depot, Dollar Tree and Macy’s are also among the best employers. Taking a job at a bank or insurance company can also lift high school graduates into upper levels of employment, the study found, naming State Farm, Nationwide and KeyCorp as promising options.
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Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. — A New Hampshire woman suffered severe burns on her leg after hiking off-trail in Yellowstone National Park and falling into scalding water in a thermal area near the Old Faithful geyser, park officials said.
The 60-year-old woman from Windsor, New Hampshire, along with her husband and their leashed dog were walking off a designated trail near the Mallard Lake Trailhead on Monday afternoon when she broke through a thin crust over the water and suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg, park officials said. Her husband and the dog weren’t injured.
The woman was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho for treatment.
National Park Service / Jacob W. Frank
Park visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and exercise extreme caution. The ground in those areas is fragile and thin and there’s scalding water just below the surface, park officials said.
Pets are allowed in limited, developed areas of Yellowstone park but are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
The incident is under investigation. The woman’s name wasn’t made public.
This is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024, park officials said in a statement. The park had recorded 3.5 million visitors through August this year.
Hot springs have injured and killed more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other natural feature, the National Park Service said. At least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 3,471-square-mile national park since 1890, park officials have said.