UPS education program expands to all Kentucky counties

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - UPS is expanding the program that pays tuition for part-time employees.

The Living Options and Opportunities Path (LOOP) education program is a benefit through Metropolitan College and now includes all Kentucky counties.

LOOP pays 100% of undergrad tuition at Jefferson Community and Technical College, plus a housing stipend of $325 per month for up to 36 months. It goes toward rent anywhere a student chooses to live.

Previously, Jefferson and the four surrounding counties were excluded from the LOOP housing benefits.

The Metropolitan College program is putting employees like Denisse Alvarez through school. She completed her associate’s degree at Jefferson Community and Technical College and will start at the University of Louisville in the fall to study criminal justice.

Alvarez said she has worked at UPS for almost two years and said it is difficult juggling classes and overnight shifts. She is thankful to get assistance through the LOOP program.

“I was gonna ask for a bunch of loans before knowing about this program,” she explained. “Then I hear something in school about, ‘You want to graduate debt-free?’ I was like, ‘Oh, I want to know!’ So, I went to the meeting, and I hear about this program, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m definitely doing it.’”

UPS employees eligible for the LOOP program may work during the day or at night and must work Sunday through Thursday.

To apply for a job or to learn more about the education program, click here.