Claudia Coelho began her work life the same way one in eight Americans do – she took a job as a teenager at McDonald’s.

Twelve years later, Ms. Coelho has parlayed her work at McDonald’s and the company’s Archways to Opportunity program into two master’s degrees – one in child psychology and a second in applied behavioral analysis – and a budding career as a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

“Archways to opportunity gave me a path to growth and made my dreams come true. It made education more reachable by helping me afford college while continuing to work,” Coelho told Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones and other dignitaries at a July 8 event at the McDonald’s on Iyannough Road in Hyannis, where she is a shift supervisor.

Coelho is one of many success stories to emerge from the 22 McDonald’s restaurants owned and operated by Mark McBee, who himself began his career behind the McDonald’s counter as a teenager and used mentoring and educational benefits to become a McDonald’s owner/operator in the Northeast. McBee has in turn provided nearly $1 million in educational benefits to his 1,000 employees, some of whom have gone on to other jobs and others who now work in the management ranks of his company.

“In Massachusetts, we have set our restaurant employees up for success in their next jobs by investing almost $5 million to support more than 1.300 Archways participants. This has enabled educational advancement and skill development by providing a path for new and long-time crew members to earn their high school diplomas, receive college tuition assistance, learn English as a second language, access career advising services or gain a vocational skill,” McBee said.

Established in 2015, Archways to Opportunity is McDonald’s cornerstone program for providing educational opportunities to both new and experienced employees. The company considers Archways a key benefit as it ramps up to hire nearly 5,000 people in Massachusetts this summer.

There are 230 McDonald’s restaurants in Massachusetts and all of those restaurants are locally owned and operated. The McDonald’s System generates $545 million in direct economic impact and $375 million in tax revenue in Massachusetts.

McBee began his journey with McDonald’s in 1980 when he took a job in Bremerton, Washington, to save money for his first car. He worked his way up through management and purchased his first McDonald’s restaurant in Massachusetts in 1991.

Secretary Jones said McBee’s emphasis on education and advancement is consistent with the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s determination to create a workforce system that “opens doors.”

“This kind of investment in people and opportunity is something that Governor (Maura) Healey and our administration share,” Ms. Jones said.

Leandro Neves is another McBee protégé who has embraced educational opportunity.  An employee of McDonald’s in Carver, Neves just earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering and looks forward to a dream job in robotics.

“As a first-generation college student, Archways to Opportunity was an essential pillar in my access to education. The program gave me the opportunity to be able to continue in higher education while working to achieve my professional goal of becoming a robotics engineer,” Neves said.

McDonald’s is a member of Associated Industries of Massachusetts.