Close the
opportunity divide,
and new doors open.

Year Up's 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.

5 million
The number of low-income young adults out of work and out of school.
14 million
The number of jobs requiring post-secondary education that will go unfilled in the next decade.
84%
The percentage of Year Up graduates employed or attending college full-time within 4 months of completing the program.
1,400
The number of bright young minds Year Up serves annually.
236
The number of companies currently benefitting from Year Up interns.

Our Students

Sotheara Yem

Year Up Bay Area graduate

"Being part of Year Up is really setting me up for a better life and a better future. It's shown me that I can make something of myself."

See more student stories »

Oneyda Escobar

Year Up Providence graduate

"All my hard work and dedication is paying off. I have the confidence and skills to overcome any and all challenges."

See more student stories »

Jonathan Garcia

Year Up New York graduate

"If you would have told me a couple of years ago that I would be interning at American Express, helping VPs, I would never in a million years believed you."

See more student stories »

Racquel Reeves

Year Up Bay Area graduate

"Year Up has provided me with so many opportunities and opened up so many doors so I can provide a better life for me and my son."

See more student stories »

Stanley Narcisse

Year Up Boston graduate

"I made the transition from being a dependent novice to a valued member of the Goodwin Procter team."

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Our Partners

Kirsten Wolberg

Former CIO, Salesforce.com

"We brought five interns into Salesforce and every single one of them immediately started to add value in the departments and the areas that they were in."

See more partner stories »

Ginny Kraus

CTO, Wholesale Banking, Wells Fargo

"They have even challenged some of the co-employees because they are so highly motivated. It has had a much, much broader impact on the group where they're working."

See more partner stories »

"The most exciting evaluation results we've seen in youth
employment in 20 or 30 years."

–Mark Elliott, President, Economic Mobility Corporation

 


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, and corporate internships.


100%»placement of qualified students into internships
95%»interns meet or exceed partner expectations
84%»graduates employed or in college full time within four months of graduation
$15»average hourly wage at placement

Learn more about Year Up »

News & Events


This year's Walk for Opportunity will take place across the country on May 23. Join us in recognizing the talent of our young adults.

 

4/27/2012 Program prepping students for high-tech careers: Year Up Chicago featured on ABC News »
3/14/2012 Year Up featured on public radio as Boston is challenged to reinvent the "Innovation Economy" »
3/8/2012 Year Up to work with the City of San Francisco in $5M tech training initiative »
2/24/2012 The (Higher) Cost of Doing Nothing: Year Up featured as "proof" that investing in young adults is worth it »
1/21/2012 Gerald Chertavian discusses the power of mentoring in the New York Times »