Capitalizing on Student Workers

Abstract

For more than a decade, the City of Auburn, Alabama, has employed university students as part-time firefighters, police aides, and 911 communicators. The most fully developed program allows students to be trained and work as state-certified firefighters. Newly constructed fire stations have separate dormitory-style rooms for the students. Tuition is paid by the city as long as the students earn at least a 2.5 grade point average. This program has been cost effective for the city and the source of tuition assistance for hundreds of college students. Furthermore, it has created a talented pool of candidates for regular city employment.