WLAC Chosen As First SoCal Site for Successful Program Connecting Urban Youth to Careers
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) October 20, 2016 -- The national job training nonprofit Year Up has established its first educational partnership in Southern California with West Los Angeles College, an ACCJC accredited community college providing the first half of a Bachelor’s degree, Associate degrees and career preparation. Year Up is an intensive one-year program that empowers low-income young adults to enter professional careers through a combination of technical and professional skills training, corporate internships, mentoring and college credits.
Existing corporate partners include Microsoft, Symantec, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan, Bank of America and Salesforce. Founded in Boston in 2000, Year Up currently serves more than 3,000 young each year in 16 cities across the U.S.The new Los Angeles site will focus on placing participants in internships at “Silicon Beach” organizations and corporate offices between West Los Angeles and Downtown Los Angeles.
Year Up was founded by Harvard Business School graduate Gerald Chertavian after his experience serving as a Big Brother for a low-income 10-year-old boy. “I thought it was so wrong that the opportunities he had access to in life could be limited due to things like his zip code, the color of his skin, the bank balance of his mother, or the school system he attended. We are wasting so much talent in a country where we have no one to waste,” said Chertavian.
For the first six months, Year Up at West students will develop technical and professional skills on campus, with classroom space and instructors provided by West. Students will then apply those skills during a six-month, full-time internship at one of Year Up’s corporate partners. Students earn college credits and a weekly stipend, and are supported by staff advisors, professional mentors, dedicated social services staff, and a powerful network of community-based partners. Skills training is tailored to the internships but typically includes: customer service, business decorum, desktop and network support, hardware repair, software installation, viruses and malware, and more.
“Our Vision Statement is ‘West: A gateway to success for every student,’ so clearly Year Up fits well into what we do. And, we are honored that our reputation as educators and partners caused this outstanding program with such a strong track record to reach out to us,” said Dr. James Limbaugh, President of West Los Angeles College.
Year Up’s first cohort of students began classes at West began classes at West in August 2016. Nationwide, 85 percent of Year Up graduates are employed or attending college full-time within four months of completing the program, with average starting salaries of $36,000/year.
Year Up Los Angeles, in partnership with West Los Angeles College, will host a ribbon cutting ceremony event on October 27, 2016 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm on the campus location at 9000 Overland Avenue in Culver City, CA where staff, students, partners, and friends are expected to join.
For more information, contact Travis Keene, External Relations Manager, TKeene(at)yearup(dot)org
About Year Up Inc.
Year Up's mission is to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Year Up achieves this mission through a high support, high expectation model that combines marketable job skills, stipends, internships and college credits. Its holistic approach focuses on students' professional and personal development to place these young adults on a viable path to economic self-sufficiency. Year Up currently serves more than 3,000 students a year at sites in Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Jacksonville, the National Capital Region, New York City, Philadelphia, Providence, Puget Sound, San Francisco Bay Area, and South Florida. To learn more, visit http://www.yearup.org or http://www.youtube.com/yearupinc.
About West Los Angeles College
West is an ACCJC accredited community college offering full- and part-time paths of study leading to university transfer and in-demand careers in healthcare, technology, entertainment behind the scenes, law enforcement, pre-school education, law, business and more. In addition to the traditional classroom setting, West has one of the most well-regarded online community college programs in Southern California. West is located at 9000 Overland Avenue, Culver City, CA 90230. To learn more, visit http://www.WLAC.edu.
Roberto Zeledon, Year Up, http://www.yearup.org, +1 (857) 305-9995, [email protected]
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