PACE Career Pathways Program Profile: Year Up

This profile serves as a component of the Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) study, which uses an “experimental design to assess the effectiveness of nine career pathway programs across the country” (p.1). This particular profile highlights Year Up, a national program with the mission to “assist 18- to 24-year-olds with a high school diploma or equivalent to reach their potential through training for knowledge-based careers in growing industries” (p.17), including health care, manufacturing, and technology. “ The one-year program offers … a comprehensive service package that includes 21 weeks of occupational training, classes in professional skills and business communications, guidance and supports, and connections to employment that include a six-month internship” (p.2).

“This profile first describes the career pathway framework used in the PACE evaluation, a framework that provides a common metric for describing and assessing career pathways programs, and then discusses Year Up’s program model and how it fits within the career pathways framework” (p. 2).

(Abstractor: Author and Website Staff)

The Year Up Framework involves 5 steps: •“The first two steps (I and II) represent ‘on ramp’ programs designed to prepare low-skilled participants for college-level training and lower-skilled jobs with a career focus. •The next two steps (III and IV) provide college-level training for ‘middle skills’ employment—jobs requiring some college but less than a bachelor’s degree (e.g., an associate’s degree or shorter certificate program). •The final step (V) includes interventions to promote completion of a bachelor’s degree and more advanced credentials” (p.3). “Career pathways are designed to allow entries, exits, and reentries at each stage—depending on skill levels and prior training, employment prospects, and changing personal situations. Programs vary in terms of entry and exit points as well as steps incorporated. Year Up brings together several key components of the career pathways framework, focusing on steps III and IV. The year-long program features 21 weeks of occupational skills training in high-demand fields such as information technology and financial operations, for which students can earn college credits from a partner institution. Comprehensive supports, provided to participants after acceptance into the program and during the program, include classes in business communications and professional skills, an educational stipend, advising, and connections to other resources and supports. Finally, the program offers links to employers through a six-month corporate internship and post-program employment placement assistance” (p.3). (Abstractor: Author)

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2014
• Author(s): Engstrom, Whitney; Fein, David; and Gardiner, Karen
• Organizational Author(s): Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education
• Funding Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by: Justin Venneri
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies