Grant in the Spotlight: Year Up

The Wyss Foundation is pleased to announce a recent grant to Year Up, a national organization that enables motivated young adults, ages 18-24, to move from minimum wage to meaningful careers in just one year.  Through a one-year, intensive program, Year Up utilizes a high expectations, high support model where students spend the first six months learning in-demand technical and professional skills, focusing on one of five career pathways, before applying their skills during a six-month corporate internship with a top company. Throughout the program, students earn an educational stipend, and complete coursework eligible for college credits.

Year Up has developed a real solution to address the opportunity divide in this country by connecting young adults that need access to meaningful career pathways with companies that need access to bright, motivated, and loyal entry-level talent.

 Since founding in 2000, Year Up has served more than 24,000 young adults, and the program has seen unprecedented results. 90% of Year Up graduates are employed and/or enrolled in postsecondary education within four months of program completion and employed graduates earn an average starting salary of $38,000 per year.  The Wyss Foundation is proud to support this great work.

“The work Year Up does to help connect people to real careers and thereby transform communities should be inspiring to all of us”, said Molly McUsic, President of the Wyss Foundation.   “We can and should help close the divide between those in search of a career and companies who need workers ready to handle today’s workplace.”

 “Year Up is deeply inspired by the Wyss Foundation’s commitment to empowering communities and building a more just, sustainable world,” said Gerald Chertavian, Founder and CEO of Year Up. “We are grateful for Hansjorg’s visionary leadership and dedication to creating economic opportunity for the young adults we serve.”