There are 3.8 million youth in this country who have not progressed beyond earning a high school diploma and are neither employed nor enrolled in postsecondary education. Youth who experience this disconnection from the economic mainstream make up nearly 15% of all 18-24 year olds, and illustrate the magnitude of a national "opportunity divide" that is getting worse. Compounding the problem is the fact that most new jobs, and virtually all that offer wages sufficient to support a family, require at least some education and training beyond high school, even at the entry level.
Year Up was founded in October 2000 as a one-year intensive education and apprenticeship program for urban young adults aged 18-24. The program recognizes that a combination of job skills (both technical and professional) and higher education are essential for the participants to succeed.
Year Up participants can place themselves on a path to personal and economic self-sufficiency by attaining marketable job skills through a high support, high expectation model that combines stipends, apprenticeships, college credit, a behavior management system, and several levels of support.
The Highland Street trustees admire and commend the vision and entrepreneurial abilities of Year Up founder Gerald Chertavian and the team he has assembled. We are pleased to invest in their efforts to provide young adults with the essential training and mentoring that is required for movement into well-paying jobs and higher education. Perhaps most persuasive, however, is the feedback we've heard first-hand from young people in the program that details the profound impact Year Up has had on their lives. We are proud to support this unique program and, in turn, help these young adults realize their full potential.
