The program, in partnership with UPS, Jefferson Community and Technical College and the state of Kentucky, allows college students to work the third shift, for about 15 hours a week, at UPS’ World Port Freight Facility at the Louisville International Airport. In return for their work, UPS gives each student a paycheck and covers their tuition and fees.

Metro College also to help place students in careers after graduation through its built-in Career and Academic Planning Program, which requires students to complete a career assessment and meet with a counselor regularly.

It’s not hard to figure out why UofL would want to keep this program going. For starters, it provides students with a unique opportunity to graduate debt-free. It also encourages them to consider careers in high-demand fields like computer sciences and health care.

Thalia Almenares, a dental hygiene major at UofL, is one such student taking advantage of the program.

“If UPS is my big family, then Metro College would be my mother,” . “I say this because my mother makes sure that I have food, that I feel supported and loved, that I have everything I need. Well, Metro College provides me everything regarding school needs.”

It’s also a win for UPS, which has struggled in the past with workforce shortages. Before the college launched, the average tenure of an overnight worker was eight weeks. Today, it’s almost three years.

As the : “We need employees here to work at night, and it’s a challenging time. It’s a challenging shift. The benefit is we get great students who are committed, many of them come here, stay four years so it really is possible to graduate with zero debt.”

Because of this mutual benefit, the program earned recognition in 2017 by University Business magazine as a “Model of Excellence.” UofL was one of six colleges and universities honored by the publication. 

The Metro College program was founded in 1988. Since its inception, 20,756 UofL and JCTC students have participated. Most recently, from the spring 2019 through the fall 2019, the program had a total of 4,336 enrolled participants – 2,511 of whom are from UofL and 1,825 of whom are from JCTC.

According to Carrie Faller, director of Workforce and Student Development at Metro College, the goal is to reach 2,800 UofL participants per semester.

“For the last two years, we have focused on increasing enrollment, which is reflected in [our enrollment trends],” she said.

Indeed, that most recent 2,511-participant number is much higher than the 1,811 number from the fall of 2018. When the program first started, there were less than 800 UofL participants.

Yielding an upward enrollment trajectory will remain a goal for the program throughout the next seven years and, potentially, beyond.

“The Metropolitan College program is a workforce development initiative that removes financial barriers to postsecondary education while supporting workforce needs, preparing participants for future careers through targeted career development activities, offering workforce pathways to high-demand fields, and providing opportunities to grow participant wealth,” Faller said.

The partnership is a win for the schools, company and students involved, said Tim Goral, senior editor at the publication. 

“It illustrates the powerful effects a university can have on its city’s economy,” he adds. 

In 1998, shipping giant UPS considered moving its overnight air hub out of Louisville. In response, UofL, Jefferson Community and Technical College, the city of Louisville and the state of Kentucky developed an innovative education initiative to keep the company in town. The program, named Metropolitan College, aims to to help UPS improve workforce retention while eliminating a financial barrier to higher education for Kentucky residents, says Courtney Abboud, director of workforce and student development for Metropolitan College.

Students in Metropolitan College work approximately 15 hours per week at UPS and attend courses at the university or community college. Approximately 60 percent of Metropolitan’s 2,300 students are enrolled at the university and 40 percent attend the two-year school. If students commit to work through the semester at UPS, the company pays half of the tuition. The balance is covered through federal and state grants and a state tax credit to UPS.

So far, 4,698 students have earned associate’s, bachelor’s and graduate degrees through the program.

Metropolitan College also has built-in career guidance.The Career and Academic Planning Program requires students to complete a career assessment and meet with a counselor regularly. After completing 30 credit hours, they create a resume and set career goals. At 60 credit hours, students complete an online experiential learning module and the counselor helps them obtain related professional experience. Then, at 90 credit hours, students participate in a mock interviews geared toward their career goals.

“The goal of the program was not to create long-term UPS employees, but to provide a temporary workforce and then put credentialed employees back into the workforce” in other companies throughout Kentucky, says Abboud.

Metropolitan College has also been a win for UPS, which initially struggled with a workforce shortage. Before the college launched, the average tenure of an overnight worker was eight weeks. Today, it’s almost three years.

In addition to University of Louisville, Summer 2017 Models of Excellence honorees include: Central Georgia Technical College (Macon, Ga.); Endicott College (Beverly, Mass.); McDaniel College (Westminster, Md.); University of Wyoming (Laramie, Wyo.); and Villanova University (Villanova, Pa.).

According to a press release, Models of Excellence was launched in 2015 as a national recognition program honoring colleges and universities that have implemented innovative, effective and inter-departmental initiatives that are bolstering student success.