A promising start: Year Up's initial impacts on low-income young adults' careers

This report presents the findings from a study of Year Up, an intensive program serving young people ages 18 to 24 from low-income urban communities that provides a combination of training, work experience, college credit and support services. The program seeks to help young people succeed in their careers by enhancing their personal and professional development and helping them access employment and educational opportunities. The findings indicate that while young people who apply to Year Up are motivated and able to work, the program helps them access higher-quality jobs than they could access on their own, leading to significantly greater earnings. In sum, the experience of Year Up suggests that social policies should encourage intensive programs that provide a combination of training, work experience and support services to build young people's technical and professional skills and confidence while at the same time meeting employers' needs for skilled workers in industries that offer young people access to well-paying job opportunities.

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