In Simple Words
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. 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.
Young adults seeking work
- Without YearUp
- 4% worked in IT in year three
- With YearUp
- 37% worked in IT in year three
Year-three group employment rates, as summarized by J-PAL: a 33 percentage point difference, not a before-and-after change for one person. YearUp combined six months of skills training with six months of internship, plus financial and mentoring support.
See source →Research question
Urban young adults aged 18 to 24 without college degrees frequently experience persistent earnings gaps and lack access to high-paying professional career ladders. Structural barriers and limited professional networks prevent these youth from obtaining entry-level positions in expanding fields such as IT and financial services.
Participants
Human urban youth aged 18 to 24 participating across national site locations, screened via learning assessments, drug tests, and background checks.
Study Design
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.
Results
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). 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).
Takeaway
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.
Source and citation
See source →Read alongside the research
Plain-English glossary
Original explanations, informed by the references below. Examples are illustrations, not data from the studies above. The research text stays unchanged.
- Percentage points
The difference between two percentages.
ExampleA rise from 40% to 50% is 10 percentage points. Relative to the starting value, that is a 25% increase.
Office for National Statistics · Percentages ↗Read more about percentage points →- Randomized controlled trial
A study that uses chance, like drawing lots, to decide who receives each option being compared. Researchers compare the groups’ outcomes to estimate the effect of those options.
ExampleA lottery assigns volunteers to a training programme or a comparison group. Researchers then compare their outcomes.
GET-IT glossary · Randomized study ↗Read more about randomized controlled trial →