Featured Idea: Year Up's Innovative Workforce Development

by Kelly Ward

Published December 11, 2008 @ 04:45PM PT

Through my work with America Forward, I've had the chance to see many incredible organizations in action across the country. One of those is Year Up.

Founded by social entrepreneur Gerald Chertavian in 2000, Year Up has developed an innovative solution to a phenomenon in the U.S. they call the "opportunity divide." The problem is that 4.3 million 18-24 year olds in America are not employed or enrolled in postsecondary education. This makes them ineligible for jobs that offer wages sufficient to support a family because those jobs require at least some education and training beyond high school, even at the entry-level. Year Up describes this group as "disconnected youth" because they are unable to connect with the resources and training they need to get into those higher paying jobs.

To help these youth overcome barriers to gainful employment, Year Up created a year-long program that combines classroom education with hands-on work experience. Over the course of six months, students learn technical skills like desktop and network support along with professional skills like time management and business writing. Then, once they complete classroom training, students are placed in a six-month paid apprenticeship in IT or investment operations at leading companies like Microsoft, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Bank of America. Graduates leave the Year Up program with 18 hours of college credit and a resume that shows experience in a promising field.

With this innovative and comprehensive model, Year Up is achieving incredible results. 87 percent of their graduates find jobs that average $30,000 per annum after just one year in the program. These statistics are pretty monumental when you consider them alongside the fact that one year of postsecondary education increases lifetime earnings by 5 to 15 percent per year. Additionally, 90% of their apprentices meet or exceed apprenticeship partner expectations, which is a fantastic indicator of their future success. To date, Year Up has placed more than 920 young adults on a viable path to economic self-sufficiency. The Year Up model demonstrates that young adults with post-secondary training can fulfill their potential and provide employers with a reliable and cost-effective source of entry-level, knowledge-based workers.

Imagine the impact if our federal government worked with organizations like Year Up to both scale their program and to improve our workforce development system as a whole. That's exactly the type of partnership the White House Office of Social Innovation could help facilitate.

You can support Year Up's innovative model by voting for their Idea for Change in America here!