YearUp Intensive Youth Sectoral Training Model
RCTReview
Urban young adults aged 18 to 24 without college degrees frequently experience persistent earnings gaps and lack access to high-paying professional career ladders [3, 14, 15]. Structural barriers and limited professional networks prevent these youth from obtaining entry-level positions in expanding fields such as IT and financial services [15, 16].
Picture this
YearUp functions as an intensive express engine for career entry. During the first six months, young adults complete full-time technical and professional communication training while receiving weekly financial stipends [15, 17, 18]. In the second six months, participants enter full-time corporate internships with major employers, supported by social workers and professional mentors to navigate workplace challenges [10, 15, 19].
What the evidence says
By Year 3, participant annual earnings grew by $7,011 (a 40% increase, p < 0.01), driven by a 33 percentage point gain in IT sector employment (37% vs. 4%, p < 0.01) and a 9 percentage point gain in financial services (23% vs. 14%, p < 0.01) [10, 21]. By Year 5, quarterly earnings remained $1,857 higher (a 33.5% increase, p < 0.01), generating $1.66 in public benefit per $1 spent ($15,349 net benefit per participant) [10, 20].
- Who was studied
- Human urban youth aged 18 to 24 participating across national site locations, screened via learning assessments, drug tests, and background checks [10, 15].
- How
- Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) evaluated by Fein et al. (2018, 2021) assessing participant employment, wage gains, and societal cost-effectiveness at 3-year and 5-year follow-ups [10, 15, 20].
What to do
Implement a dual-phase youth workforce intervention pairing six months of full-time occupational instruction with six-month corporate internships backed by weekly stipends and social worker case management.
From the source
"By the third year in the study period, YearUp participants saw their earnings increase by $7,011 (a 40 percent increase) overall." [21]
Evidence-Review_Sectoral-Employment_2222022_0.pdf