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Platinum Sponsor UPS
UPS is driving home success through education
By
Laura Holmberg, May 27, 2016
It seems it's only when we hit a bump in the road - a literal one - that our minds take a necessary detour in seeing the value of what our roadways provide us. Every day, countless people take to the roads to drive from one place to the next, many of whom are driving themselves to school, then to work, and back home again.
Transportation and education are connected in big ways, and they're not so different than the street grids on a map. Road infrastructure drives the connectivity of a city's citizens and businesses, and the education of those within our community drives its continued success.
UPS, Kentucky's largest employer, with a workforce of more than 20,000 in Louisville alone, is driving home opportunities for individuals in their educational and professional pursuits by partnering with the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the University of Louisville (UofL) and Jefferson Community & Technical College (JCTC) in a tremendous public-private partnership through the Metropolitan College program. This partnership provides UPS employees access to a tuition-free post-secondary education through UofL or JCTC by working third shift in the UPS Next Day Air operation as a part-time package handler at Worldport, the company's international air hub in Louisville, Ky. In addition to free college tuition, there are bonus incentives for academic progress, and book reimbursement money provided each semester.
Since its inception in 1998, more than 14,000 students from virtually every Kentucky county have participated in the Metropolitan College program, with 4,100 individuals earning over 6,500 degrees and certifications. The program has been enhanced to include career counseling and outplacement features, better preparing students in their contribution to Kentucky's economy upon graduation.
In jobs outside the Next Day Air operation, UPS also boasts its Earn and Learn program, a tuition reimbursement program that is companywide and helps part-time employees in approved locations pay the cost of their education by working at UPS. Earn and Learn pays up to a lifetime maximum of $25,000 toward tuition for qualifying employees.
UPS strives not only to educate its workforce, but to retain it as well. The education programs at UPS help recruit, retain and develop qualified individuals to help meet the business needs of the company. UPS invests about $565 million a year on training programs to help employees further their careers within the company. The variety of jobs within UPS is broad, and includes not only drivers and package handlers, but also pilots, aircraft mechanics, engineers, attorneys, operations managers, financial professionals, meteorologists, auto mechanics, and more.
Sometimes when we hit a bump in the road - a metaphorical one - we begin to see how many opportunities are there to guide us down new paths.
If you know someone who would like to join UPS and become part of a growing team while earning an education through the Metropolitan College or Earn & Learn programs, log on to
www.upsjobs.com.
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