National Skills Summit

National Skills Summit
Innovative Initiatives: Construction and Transportation

UPS, State of Kentucky, University of Louisville, Jefferson Technical College, and Jefferson Community College: Metropolitan College Program

The Challenge:

To meet UPS's demand for workers in order to expand its Worldwide Air Hub in Louisville.

The Solution:

Offer potential employees a tuition-free opportunity for college in return for their willingness to work part-time for UPS during their time in school.

The Partners:

UPS is the world's largest package distribution company, transporting more than three billion parcels and documents annually.

State of Kentucky provides financial support for the Metropolitan College Program.

University of Louisville, Jefferson Technical College, and Jefferson Community College have UPS employees attending classes and earning degrees through the Metropolitan College Program.

The Story:

UPS needed to expand its Worldwide Air Hub in Louisville, but could not find enough workers. In response to this situation, the company created a new workforce by offering college students part-time jobs and a free education. One such student employee is Todd Schwartz, a 32-year-old student with a family who is taking advantage of the UPS Metropolitan College Program. UPS pays for his education at the University of Louisville and Todd works part-time at night for UPS. Todd is working towards an engineering degree and has recently been promoted to a part-time supervisory position in Plant Engineering.

Created in 1998, the Metropolitan College Program now has 1,500 students enrolled in the University of Louisville, Jefferson Technical College, and Jefferson Community College. These 1,500 part-time UPS workers have proven to have better retention rates than those not in the Metropolitan College Program. Many of these workers came from the UPS School to Work program, which gives 350 local high school students the opportunity for employment and college credit.

Students in the Metropolitan College Program get a free education at any of the three schools, textbooks, a housing subsidy, and a good-paying job. Benefits include a medical plan and a 401(k) retirement plan. Students are given mentors who provide counseling on issues related to the employee's job, school, and personal life. The student-workers may get their degrees in any subject, are not required to work for UPS when they graduate. Due to the growth of the program, there are many more students enrolled in the Metropolitan College Program than can be accommodated by UPS on a full-time basis upon graduation. As a result, UPS has formed alliances with other Louisville-area companies to create career opportunities in a variety of fields.

The program is funded with a $2 million grant from the state of Kentucky, $625,000 from the city of Louisville and Jefferson County; and $100,000 from Greater Louisville, Inc. UPS pays about $4 million in tuition fees, and contributes $1.1 million in classroom facilities and $1.5 million in equipment.

A Model of Innovation:

Rather than relocate to another community, UPS decided to invest in the people of Louisville by paying for their education. This decision avoided the cost of moving and will pay off for years by providing the company with well-educated, loyal employees to meet the company's employment needs.

Contacts:

John Kinney, Human Resources Manager
UPS
1515 Fern Valley Road
Louisville, Kentucky 40213
502-359-7309 (p)
air1jwk@air.ups.com

Dr. Dan Ash, Executive Director
Metropolitan College 200 West Broadway
Louisville, Kentucky 40202
502-213-4520 (p)
502-213-4512 (f)