McDonald's plans 'McPhD' degrees to improve staff training

London, May 11 (ANI): Fast food giant McDonald's is planning to attract more university graduates into burger bar management by awarding its staff doctorates - dubbed 'McPhDs'.

With its new plan, the company hopes to challenge the popular wisdom that the high-street fast-food chain creates nothing but low-paid, low-quality 'McJobs'.

The company has developed a reputation over recent years for making significant investments in employee training, and it also runs some of the most respected in-house programmes on the high street.

Last year, McDonald's became one of Britain's first employers to be accredited to run courses offering A-level-equivalent qualifications.

Over 2,500 people have already signed up to the 'basic shift management' scheme, which covers customer services, marketing and human resources, and a degree-equivalent management course is in the pipeline.

David Fairhurst, the chain's chief people officer, said that the company's new power to award qualifications made it "a university in its own right".

"One day I'd love to see us doing a PhD. I definitely think we can go as far as we can," the Telegraph quoted him as telling the Financial Times. (ANI)