Year Up is a nonprofit seeking to close the opportunity divide by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through higher education and professional careers. The organization offers a one-year, intensive training program that provides a unique combination of technical and professional skills, college credits, educational stipend, and a corporate apprenticeship. Year Up also focuses on shifting the perception of urban youth from social liability to economic assets.
Since its founding in 2000, Year Up has served over 8,500 young adults through its training program and placed 1,400 interns with corporate partners - 86% of whom have gone on to full-time employment or education within four months of graduating from Year Up. Year Up has set a 2016 goal of serving 2,500 people annually through its core model and creating alternative service programs to serve another 100,000.
Our Impact
Since 2010, 25 Education Pioneers have served Year Up. They have:
- Identified the characteristics of successful and struggling Year Up graduates by equipping Year Up with the data needed to optimize their programming during their one-year curriculum and beyond.
- Innovated Year Up’s IT curriculum model to include industry emerging trends, giving students the applicable job skills and college credits needed to successfully enter the workforce.
- Conducted in-depth analysis of the admission department’s systems, staffing structures, and procedures, and created a long-term strategic plan that ensures Year Up’s ability to maintain a high quality admission process.
- Developed an execution plan to move Year Up facilities to a larger site, ensuring a smooth transition and operational efficiency for instructors and staff they serve more students.
- And more.
