Washington, D.C. (May 7, 2009) – Today Corporate Voices for Working Families will present the social enterprise Year Up with the “Nonprofit Partner of the Year” award at its 8th Annual Board and Partners Meeting held at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. Each year, Corporate Voices recognizes one outstanding nonprofit partner to thank them for their collaboration, guidance and support in helping reach its mission. Year Up, a national nonprofit organization uses an innovative approach connecting urban young adults to the mainstream corporate job market by teaching business skills, IT and IO expertise and providing apprenticeships with corporate companies. With a national network of 6 sites in Atlanta, Boston, New York, Providence, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., Year Up’s mission to close the Opportunity Divide has proven outcomes of successful corporate collaborations.
Commenting on this year’s award recipient, Donna Klein, Corporate Voices for Working Families President and Founder, said “We salute Year Up for being the premiere alternative pathway program that successfully prepares low income young adults for professional careers. At the same time, Year Up helps employers, access highly motivated, and skilled talent for entry level professional positions. With more than 80 employer partners, including at least 10 Corporate Voices partner companies, Year Up is a workforce training model that clearly meets the needs of both employers and young adults.”
Klein added: “In addition to providing direct service, Year Up is a critical partner with Corporate Voices in moving our workforce training policy agenda. Working together, we have shared both the business and youth perspective with policymakers. We look forward to ongoing collaboration with Year Up to share your model with business, and to improve workforce policy in this country.”
“At Year Up we believe that with high expectations and high support every young adult can reach their potential and get onto a viable path to economic self-sufficiency. We are greatly honored to be recognized by our colleagues at Corporate Voices for Working Families, and look forward to continuing our partnership to bridge the needs of employers and young adults,” said Shawn Bohen, Year Up’s National Director for Strategic Growth and Impact.
Year Up was founded in 2000 as a one-year intensive education and apprenticeship program for urban young adults, ages 18-24, who are disconnected from the economic mainstream, livable wage careers and post-secondary education. Year Up’s high support, high expectation model combines marketable job skills training, life skills training, stipends, paid apprenticeships, up to 18 college credits, a behavior management system and multiple levels of support to place these young adults on a viable path to economic self-sufficiency. More than 85% of Year Up graduates are pursuing careers in IT and financial services averaging $30,000 per year and nearly a third continue their college education, often part time and in the evenings. Year Up has served more than 2,320 young adults to date and will serve more than 800 in 2009 across a national network of sites in Boston, New York City, Providence, Washington, DC, San Francisco and, most recently, Atlanta.
For more information visit: www.yearup.org
Corporate Voices for Working Families is the leading national business membership organization representing the private sector on public and corporate policy issues involving working families. A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, Corporate Voices for Working Families improves the lives of working families by developing and advancing innovative policies that reflect collaboration among the private sector, government and other stakeholders. To create bipartisan support for issues affecting working families, Corporate Voices for Working Families facilitates research in areas spotlighting the intersecting interests of business, community and families: workforce readiness, family economic stability and flexibility in the workforce. Collectively its 50 partner companies, with annual net revenues of more than $1 trillion, employ more than 4 million individuals throughout all 50 states.
For more information visit: www.cvworkingfamilies.org
For more information contact:
Tracy Gibbs, National Director of Marketing and Communications, Year Up,
617-620-8657 (cell)
Rob Jewell, Vice President of Communications, Corporate Voices for Working Families,
330-631-9298
