TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEAR FRIEND,
I hope this letter finds you well. At the time of my writing, thousands of young adults are reaching the next phase of their Year Up journey: as the next cohort of students beginning their training, as new professionals learning with one of our corporate partners, or as the newest members of our National Alumni Association. These milestones are only made possible through your partnership and support, and on behalf of those young adults, we say: Thank you
As our young adults are taking their next step toward realizing their potential, we are too. In this report, we will introduce you to the new ways we are serving our mission. In 2019, we served more than 4,600 young adults, representing a 14% growth over the previous year. We also served nearly 1,000 young adults through our newest brands, YUPRO and Grads of Life. Those opportunities were realized through new workstreams, like consulting engagements to help leading corporations become Opportunity Employers and offering modular Year Up-like professional skills training to other workforce development programs.
Our direct service outcomes remain unparalleled in our field, and our new products and services will help us activate key levers for impact. Expanding our offerings will help bring in employer partners in new industries, create opportunities in more geographies, and expand access to jobs for even more young adults – all of which is critical to serving our mission of closing the Opportunity Divide. As we look ahead, we see three key areas of work: Serving Students and Alumni Directly, Empowering Others to Serve, and Changing Systems to Close the Opportunity Divide.
I hope you enjoy and are inspired by the contents that follow, as 2019 was a joyful and inspirational year for us. Thank you for all that you have done to enable our success and the success of the young adults whom we have the privilege to serve.
Gerald Chertavian Founder & CEO
Year Up’s mission is to close the Opportunity Divide by ensuring that young adults gain the skills, experiences, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through careers and higher education. For the past two decades, we served that mission by operating the most impactful workforce development program in our nation’s history.
In the last ten years, there has been a growing corporate focus on ESG (environmental, social, and governance) metrics, a tight labor market, and mounting pressure to address social and economic inequality, which indicate a significant opportunity for Year Up to create more impact through additional channels.
Looking ahead, Year Up will serve its mission through three interrelated categories of activity:
• Serving Students and Alumni Directly. Year Up will continue to provide thousands of young adults with opportunity in partnership with leading employers.
• Empowering Others to Serve. Year Up will seek to strengthen the talent marketplace by ensuring that other entities can replicate Year Up’s approach to serving young adults.
• Changing Systems to Close the Opportunity Divide. In order to ensure every young adult has access to opportunity, we must address systems like higher education and federal workforce funding so that they deliver real results for our country.
ASSESSING OUR PROGRESS, EVALUATING OUR IMPACT
In 2019, Year Up continued to focus on improving future outcomes for Opportunity Youth by cementing new partnerships, deepening current ones, launching research initiatives, and developing program standards that will elevate retention levels to new heights.
The first step to ensuring the best outcomes is ensuring the best education. That’s why Year Up has partnered with ImmerLearn, a company that builds ethical and transparent data solutions. In fall 2019, using machine learning methods, this partnership produced algorithms enabling Year Up to accurately pinpoint which students need additional support, when they need it, and why.
When combined with targeted program supports, this model is designed to meaningfully boost retention. We plan to pilot this model in 2020, with the aim of wider testing and adoption in 2021.
In 2019, Year Up also began a new partnership with renowned economist Dr. Raj Chetty. Tackling a robust research agenda alongside Dr. Chetty’s cutting edge research firm, Opportunity Insights at Harvard University, the partnership aims to deepen the understanding of the precise role Year Up plays in shaping the economic mobility of its students.
Meanwhile, as Year Up’s reach and influence expands, 2019 saw the implementation of Direct Service Program standards — standard practices for two departments, two Guiding Principles of Program, and eight Program Standards, as well as the identification of the special recipe that makes Year Up succeed where other programs falter: namely, a model of high support and high expectations.
In 2020, the next round of Pathways for Advancing Careers & Education (PACE) results will be released, as will Year Up’s first Institute of Education Sciences (IES) evaluation results of three sites: Baltimore, Bellevue, and BMCC. The PACE results, in particular, will shine a light on employment outcomes three-to-four years after graduation. Altogether, this combination of partnerships, research, analysis, program standards, and expansion ensures that our outcomes continuously improve. Teamwork creates change. Success comes from hard work. Combined, these elements will someday close the Opportunity Divide. Together, these will provide Year Up with more robust insights, flexible reporting, and increased efficiencies—all of which are critical to maintaining strong outcomes and quality program delivery.
“The Year Up program works and changed our lives for the better. We moved to Minnesota, bought a home, and got married. Our new income, coupled with the skills we learned at Year Up, will provide a brighter future for our three sons, Gio, Neydan, and Danney. Thank you, Year Up!.”
- ONEYDA & JORDAN ESCOBAR | Year Up Rhode Island Alumni
When reiterating the outcomes of 2019, one fact becomes apparent: Year Up had a successful year of delivering relevant, market-driven training solutions that reflect our corporate partners’ evolving needs, and our students achieved strong post-graduation outcomes as a result.
The Year Up Solutions Catalog is a framework that outlines the pathways for students to acquire the skills our partners require, thereby ensuring curriculum alignment and prioritizing ongoing enhancements.
In 2019, we added internship clusters to our catalog — demonstrating an expanded group of career pathways for every training specialty and improving our ability to accurately map our specialty curriculum to in-demand roles. The catalog is continuously refined based on feedback and trends, and last year, Year Up rolled out a new Application Development & Support specialty within our Software Development & Support track, new Accounting & Corporate Finance specialty within our Financial Operations track, and an enhanced Client Services & Sales Support specialty within our Sales & Customer Support track to meet the emerging needs within Consumer Banking.
In 2019, Year Up also piloted a market-responsive innovation to our standard program delivery model based on growing demand in the consumer banking industry. In partnership with City College of New York, we piloted the Career Immersion Program — a variation of Year Up’s proven model, consisting of eight weeks of immersive learning and twelve weeks of internship in a banking or client services role. Thanks to strong partnerships with inaugural partners JPMorgan Chase & Co. and New York Life Insurance Company, 85% of students were converted-to-hire at their internship company.
Increasing student access to resources is a priority and so is honing their development. Last year, Year Up partnered with Pluralsight — a technology skills platform — and the company committed a product grant that will support Year Up’s tech strategy and provide licenses to the Pluralsight platform for staff, students, and alumni. This partnership will ensure that more of our young adults train with cutting edge technology, thrive in their internships, and are empowered to grow into the contributors, organizers, and leaders they are meant to be.
“Access to technology skills is one of the most powerful tools we have to create equality of opportunity in our technology-driven world, and by making Pluralsight available to Year Up students and graduates nationally, we can ensure they have full agency over their lives and careers. I’m proud to partner with Year Up to increase equal access to technology skills for underserved young adults to close the Opportunity Divide.”
- AARON SKONNARD | Co-Founder and CEO, Pluralsight
2019 was a year of record-breaking partnership outcomes.
• Bank of America hosted more than 400 interns — the highest annual partnership commitment in Year Up history.
• American Express converted more than 75% of their 2019 interns to new hires.
• New York Life Insurance Company hosted Year Up interns across ten separate departments.
These outcomes are a testament to the value we’ve found in partnership. With forty-one of the Fortune 100 companies partnering with Year Up, we're proud to be a trusted source of talent for industry leaders across the country.
On top of these successes, 2019 also experienced major partnership growth and the launch of new innovative and scalable solutions. AT&T doubled their annual number of Year Up interns, with a goal of hitting 200 interns in 2022. While Facebook hosted 100 interns in 2019, a three-fold increase from just four years ago. Meanwhile, in partnership with Year Up, Workday created the Human Capital Management training program, which equips Year Up students with six months of training on technical and professional skills and the fundamentals of Workday, followed by a six-month internship in a Workday HRIS role.
In 2019, Year Up Founder & CEO Gerald Chertavian paired with Wayfair CEO & Co-Founder Niraj Shah for an inspirational fireside chat titled “Workforce Innovation: Challenges and Opportunities” to discuss the changing face of workforce development with industry leaders and thought partners. LinkedIn hosted over 260 Year Up students for networking with LinkedIn executives, career panels, and workshops to enhance their LinkedIn profiles. Then, in October, Year Up hosted the annual Talent Solutions Forum with the theme of “Harnessing the Power of Untapped Talent.” A host of forward-thinking executives from Amazon, AT&T, Bank of America, BNY Mellon, Facebook, JPMorgan Chase, New York Life, Prudential Financial, Wayfair, and more were invited to share and discuss implementing more inclusive and equitable talent strategies.
These partnerships create access to meaningful career pathways for thousands of talented and motivated young adults and are helping redefine what talent looks like in this country. Looking ahead, we’ll be able to build a more equitable and diverse future of work.
“One of the most unique things about the partnership with Year Up is the nimble relationship that we have. It’s our ability to really work together and collaborate in order to be innovative and deliver towards our shared end result, which is the success of the young adults that we are serving.”
- JENN ANDREW | SVP of Strategic Partnerships, The Academy, Bank of America
Changing the world is a group effort. Societal barriers need to be knocked down, and partnerships are a necessity. That’s why, in 2019, Year Up designed the Strategic Partnerships team to cultivate and secure relationships which address specific needs of Opportunity Youth — and catapult them to the next level.
The first challenge identified by the Strategic Partnerships team was simple: more admissions (and thus more students in the classroom) leads to better cost efficiency — and more importantly, a larger number of Year Up student success stories. To solve this, Year Up has partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America in order to improve admission rates in 2020 and beyond. Meanwhile, to create a greater diversity of internship opportunities, Year Up has leveraged our partnership with InspireCIO to give students the ability to network with top Chief Information Officers in their market.
There’s also a persistent issue of affordable transportation. Students who struggle with transportation challenges are more likely to drop out of the program, and cost plays the biggest factor in this. But, a new partnership with Lyft aims to alleviate this. In October, Lyft’s Jobs Access Program, a LyftUp initiative, provided ride credits to Year Up students across markets
“When my transportation fell through, I didn’t have a financially viable back-up plan. The Lyft credits I received have held me over while I gained more stable and self-sufficient transportation. Without those, I would be distracted and stressed and unable to remain successful to the standard of Year Up.”
- STUDENT | Year Up Greater Atlanta
One of the biggest hurdles facing Opportunity Youth today is the housing market and rent prices that have skyrocketed. To address this, Year Up partnered with the Housing Authority of DeKalb County in Metro Atlanta, which has committed to providing 24 annual priority status vouchers to Year Up students in need of immediate housing assistance. Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Year Up partnered with Apartment List and their client, Equity Residential, to secure free apartments for Year Up students. While location specific, these opportunities allow Year Up to build a case study, paving the way for future housing programs across the country.
In 2019, our more than 17,000 alumni continued to advance the Alumni ACT — Advance in Careers and Education; Contribute to Year Up’s Success; and Take Action in the Opportunity Movement — a strategy they developed in 2014.
Most alumni engage at the local level, and they continue to give back to their communities through the ACTion Grants program — a micro-funding initiative for alumni-led community service projects. In 2019, 70 service projects were funded and executed, impacting more than 4,000 individuals across the country and overseas. Puget Sound alumnae Sophia Price and Brianna Shannon’s “Supply South Seattle” project exemplifies how a small idea can multiply. After being granted $1,000 to provide 50 students with a backpack and supplies, they inspired the Seattle community to donate over 14,000 school supplies.
Increasingly, alumni are applying their talents to start-up businesses. Bay Area alumna Naaz Ali received start-up funding and mentoring from Sky’s the Limit for her spa business, and Boston alumnus and co-founder Mike Lombardo’s technology consulting company has 200+ employees in 27 states. They join a long tradition of alumni that shift perceptions and become thought leaders.
“I talked to Sky's the Limit CEO Bo Ghirardelli at the Alumni Summit, and he encouraged me to join — so I did! Now, I have a mentor who gives advice, and I feel supported and excited to be part of a continued community after Year Up.”
- NAAZ ALI | Cater2me, Founder & CEO | Year Up Bay Area Alumna
Meanwhile, our 8th annual National Alumni Summit in Atlanta focused on the “T” in the Alumni ACT. The 2019 Gross Family Service Award went to NY alumnus Markese Miller for completing five ACTion grants, which impacted 484 children and young adults. The Summit was capped with our Service Project to benefit Atlanta children in foster care, where alumni assembled 70 bicycles and skateboards and constructed and decorated 80 birthday boxes with positive messages.
We also launched new national partnerships to benefit alumni careers and education beyond the standard training and internship — all free to alumni. Sky’s the Limit provides free mentoring and resources for aspiring entrepreneurs and Jobroo’s web app helps alumni find a job and manage their job search. Alumni also have access to Pluralsight, an online technical training and assessment platform. We also now offer a low-cost online Bachelor’s degree option through Central State University.
We look forward to a productive 2020, working closely with alumni to support their individual success and efforts to help others!
“A few things push me to pursue my PhD. I have an obligation to be a role model to my son and give him someone to look up to. I also give talks to junior high and high school kids who reside in neighborhoods with high rates of violence like the one I grew up in. When I speak to them, many share how they left inspired and feeling as they can do the same.”
- DURRELL WASHINGTON | PhD Candidate, University of Chicago | Year Up New York Alumnus
Truly closing the Opportunity Divide requires empowering others to join the movement. Since its launch in 2014, Grads of Life has become one of the nation’s leading voices in the Opportunity Movement. Companies continue to turn to Grads of Life when they need a trusted partner to help them become more inclusive employers.
Grads of Life offers a suite of four core products and services to employers. The first, strategic consulting, is conducted through a series of interactive design sessions and support with strategy implementation. This consultation was an integral element in Hyatt Hotels’ “RiseHy” initiative and Bank of America’s “Pathways” initiative, each of which committed to hiring 10,000 Opportunity Youth and low-to-moderate income individuals.
Our second key product is Career Labs, a 40-hour professional skills training program. Career Labs nurtures confidence and professionalism and improves performance. That said, harnessing the power of Opportunity Youth also means supporting the companies that hire them: That’s why Grads of Life offers Opportunity Manager Training, which equips frontline managers with the necessary skills and tools to help Opportunity Youth advance within their companies.
Finally, the Opportunity Navigator is a free tool that enables an employer to identify their strengths and blind spots in Opportunity Employment – a gold standard for inclusive employment. The Opportunity Navigator empowers employers to create economic opportunity for all by connecting them to the information and resources they need to make important changes.
Fundamentally, partnerships are what accelerate the movement. By empowering employers and others to play their part in closing the Opportunity Divide, we move faster toward an inclusive economy for all.
CHANGING SYSTEMS TO CLOSE THE OPPORTUNITY DIVIDE
Supporting Opportunity Youth requires challenging the status quo. And while discussion unlocks the door, inclusive hiring practices throws it open. But, to kick the door off its hinges, we need widespread systemic change.
To enact that change, Year Up continues to campaign for Federal policy changes. For instance, as a proud supporter of DACA recipients, Year Up joined the amicus brief filed in the U.S. Supreme Court. While, in California, Year Up works with leaders like Governor Gavin Newsom, Senior Advisor Kathleen Janus, and Labor Secretary Julie Su, to ensure the state’s Opportunity Youth remain a priority.
“I look forward to working with Year Up on pathways for Opportunity Youth, apprenticeships, and reversing the appalling trends when to comes to who gets access in life.”
- JULIE SU | California Labor Secretary
Finally, given the upcoming Presidential election, Year Up is refreshing voter education and registration efforts through civic engagement toolkits and TurboVote technology. Year Up is also working with the Presidential candidates and will collaborate with the eventual Democratic nominee to advise on policy platforms related to Opportunity Youth and workforce issues.
DEAR INVESTORS,
In 2019, more than 4,700 young adults enrolled in Year Up to enhance their professional skills and find greater career opportunities. Your philanthropic support ensured that we could effectively serve these talented individuals. Thanks to your generosity, we increased enrollment in many cities and opened new sites to serve even more highly motivated young people. The return on your investment was tremendous: employed graduates earned a record-breaking average wage of more than $21 per hour after graduating from Year Up.
In addition to serving thousands of students through the Year Up program, we expanded our efforts to empower others to serve Opportunity Youth and looked for creative and powerful ways to change the perceptions, practices, and policies that perpetuate the Opportunity Divide. As we reflect on the 20th anniversary of the Year Up movement, we are proud of the successes of the nearly 20,000 Year Up alumni and motivated by the urgency to be even bolder in our efforts to ensure that every young adult will be able to reach their potential.
I am inspired by the growing number of philanthropic commitments from individuals, families, foundations, and companies who believe in the potential of Opportunity Youth.
We are grateful for your generosity and partnership as we work together to close the Opportunity Divide.
With gratitude,
Susan M. Murray National Director of Development
