Innovative Workforce Training through Year Up

Youth economic advancement

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Year Up Los Angeles (YULA) launched as the local market of the national Year Up, Inc. organization in 2016 to address closing the Opportunity Divide, the gap between young adults seeking economic mobility through quality jobs and companies seeking talent to fill in-demand roles. The Opportunity Divide exists due to longstanding policies and exclusionary talent practices that perpetuate inequity in education and the workplace. As of 2023, 177,000 young adults aged 16 to 24 across the greater Los Angeles metro area were neither in school nor working, with young adults who identify as Black, Latinx, and Native American facing heightened disparities. This is further exacerbated by degree inflation, a practice in which employers require four-year degrees for roles that do not necessitate one. Although recent research shows that more employers are dropping degree requirements, additional efforts are needed to ensure those most impacted by the Opportunity Divide can access living-wage jobs.

YULA addresses the issue of the Opportunity Divide by delivering workforce development programming specific to the needs of LA’s young adults and employers. In 2024 through 2025, we will implement programming through two channels: accelerated training programs, and a career services model in partnership with local community colleges. Compared to Year Up’s original year-long program, these LA programs have innovated on our proven approach to provide offerings that serve a broader range of students regardless of where they are on their education or career journeys. Our accelerated programs include six weeks to three months of virtual training in specialties such as Business Operations, Information Technology, and Banking & Customer Success, followed by a three- to six-month-long, in-person work-based experience at a local corporate partner. The programs empower participants with the technical and interpersonal skills to secure and thrive in in-demand careers. To further innovate and scale, YULA also offers Career Connect, which provides employment resources, six weeks of career counseling, and eight weeks of post-graduation support for final-year college students. By building community college networks and employer partnerships, Career Connect creates access to high-wage careers for talented young adults that may otherwise face obstacles to opportunity. Throughout all programs, YULA provides robust wraparound services and job placement support to ensure students’ success.

Like LA2050, YULA shares the vision of making Los Angeles County the best place to connect, create, learn, live, and play. Our alumni are a powerful force for change: their success not only supports themselves, but also lifts their families, neighborhoods, and communities toward economic stability with the resources and opportunities to prosper, and propels Los Angeles toward closing the Opportunity Divide. Through our accelerated and innovative training programs, we focus on creating access to employment to improve income inequality and advance economic mobility, and have served more than 750 young adults in Los Angeles to date. We prioritize local partnerships and work closely with community colleges, and this collaboration promotes opportunity and equity for more young adults across the region, while building networks that enable scalability. With the support of LA2050, we can further increase access, change systems, and alleviate barriers to support our community’s young adults.

To measure the success and impact of our programs, YULA will track our progress toward the following goals: -75% of students achieving program retention
-85% of graduates employed and/or enrolled in postsecondary education
-70% of graduates hired into full-time jobs related to their Year Up training
-90% of corporate partners reporting satisfaction with our programs and interns -$24/hour average starting wage for employed Los Angeles graduates YULA has proven its ability to deliver measurable economic and societal benefits. Since 2016, we have served more than 750 young adults through our training programs and welcomed more than 470 graduates to our National Alumni Association. Our participants show consistently strong outcomes: 2023 employed YULA graduates earned an average starting wage of $27.84/hour, equivalent to $55,680/year. Their increased wages and new roles ease financial pressure, offer graduates benefits, and place young adults on a path to economic mobility.