Year Up
Year Up is a company.
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Leadership Team
Key people at Year Up.
Year Up is a company.
Key people at Year Up.
Key people at Year Up.
Year Up United (formerly Year Up) is a national nonprofit workforce development organization founded to close the "Opportunity Divide" by equipping young adults from underserved urban communities with technical skills, professional experience, and support for career success and higher education.[1][3][4] It targets 18- to 24-year-olds who are disconnected from school and work, offering a one-year program that combines six months of classroom training (earning up to 18 college credits) with six months of paid internships at partner companies, achieving 85% placement in jobs or full-time education within four months of graduation.[1][2][7] Operating in over 30 sites across the U.S., it has served more than 45,000 young adults, partnered with 250+ employers, and delivers the highest earnings impact of any workforce program studied.[5][6]
The organization has evolved into Year Up United, integrating Year Up's training with Grads of Life (mobilizing skills-first hiring) and YUPRO Placement (talent solutions), providing end-to-end services for businesses facing skills gaps amid AI and workforce shifts.[3][4][6]
Year Up was founded in 2000 by Gerald Chertavian in Boston as an intensive one-year program to bridge the gap between disconnected urban young adults and professional careers, starting with 22 students.[2][5][7] Chertavian, motivated by the challenges of poverty and untapped talent among 18- to 24-year-olds with high school diplomas but no postsecondary path, launched it to deliver marketable skills, stipends, internships, and a "high support, high expectation" model emphasizing professionalism and critical thinking.[2][7]
Early traction came quickly: by 2013, it expanded to 11 cities serving 1,900 students annually with a $48 million budget and 250 corporate partners; today, it has scaled nationwide, serving over 45,000 alumni.[2][5][6] Key milestones include Lynch Foundation support from 2003 for growth and curriculum innovation, a 2023 rebrand to Year Up United amid evolving workforce needs, and features like the Netflix documentary *UNTAPPED* highlighting graduate success.[3][5][6]
Year Up United rides the skills-first hiring trend and AI-driven talent shortages, addressing the 6 million "disconnected" young adults sidelined by unequal opportunity while companies struggle with workforce gaps.[3][4][5][6] Timing is ideal amid post-pandemic labor shifts and tech's demand for diverse, adaptable talent over pedigrees, enabling partners like Salesforce to access "untapped" pools for roles in IT, data, and customer success.[6][9]
It influences the ecosystem by reshaping hiring norms—promoting inclusion, training for emerging jobs, and proving economic mobility (e.g., from poverty to $40K+ salaries)—while fostering business-society alignment through employer networks and policy advocacy.[2][4][6]
Year Up United is poised to expand its unified model, scaling talent pipelines and AI-era solutions as skills gaps widen, potentially serving 100,000+ annually via new sites and tech integrations.[4][6] Trends like remote work, lifelong learning, and DEI mandates will amplify its reach, evolving it from training provider to workforce ecosystem architect. Its influence may grow through more corporate partnerships and media (e.g., *UNTAPPED*), solidifying the close of the Opportunity Divide as a business imperative—proving that equal access unlocks talent for all.[3][6]
