Year Up

Year Up believes that in the future, every urban young adult will have access to the education, experiences, and guidance required to realize his or her true potential. Our mission is 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 professional careers and higher education.

We achieve this mission through a high support, high expectation model that combines marketable job skills, stipends, internships and college credits. Our holistic approach focuses on students’ professional and personal development to place these young adults on a viable path to economic self-sufficiency.

The U.S is home to 6.7 million Opportunity Youth, which are 18-24 year olds who have not progressed beyond a high school diploma and are neither employed nor enrolled in postsecondary education. Despite talent and motivation, Opportunity Youth lack access to higher education and careers that provide them with a living wage. Without these necessary skills, they are likely to be trapped in a cycle of failed job training programs and attempts at higher education, and dead-end, low paying jobs. At the same time, our economy needs help as U.S. businesses are calling for more and better-trained talent to compete on the global stage, but there will not be enough skilled workers to meet that demand.

Providing underserved young adults with the skills, knowledge and experience today’s businesses demand ensures those young adults will begin successful careers and earn a living wage. In return, employers gain access to a wider pipeline of well-trained talent than ever before – the talent they need to compete across the globe.

Year Up is a one-year, intensive training program that provides low-income young adults, ages 18-24, with a combination of hands-on skill development, college credits, corporate internships, and support. Our program emphasizes academic and professional rigor, setting expectations high for quality of work and professional behavior, while focusing on students’ professional and personal development to help them achieve economic self-sufficiency.

For the first six months of the program, students develop technical and professional skills in the classroom, which are then applied during the second six months on an internship at one of Year Up’s corporate partners. Students earn college credits and a weekly stipend, and are supported by staff advisors, professional mentors, dedicated social services staff, and a powerful network of community-based partners.

Since its founding in 2000, Year Up has served over 10,000 young adults, has provided interns for over 250 corporate partners, operates in 12 states and 13 cities nationally and has an operating budget of $90 million. Year Up sees 100% placement of qualified Year Up students into internships, and 85% of graduates are employed or attending college full-time within four months of completing the program. YU Boston specifically has served 2000 students to date, 320 students annually, achieving a 90% internship host satisfaction rating among over 35 corporate partners. Lastly, internship employers have hired 52% of the student interns.