Year Up Launches Year Up Professional Resources
Boston, MA (PRWEB) May 01, 2014 -- Recognizing the growing need for skilled talent in the US, Year Up announced today the launch of Year Up Professional Resources (YUPRO), a for-profit affiliate that will focus on job placement for its growing alumni base and serve as a pipeline of talent for organizations across the country.
As a Public Benefit Corporation, YUPRO’s profits will be directed to the nonprofit Year Up to fund and support alumni networks and activities. The organization is headquartered in Denver, CO and will initially serve alumni in Boston and the Bay Area but will quickly expand to Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Providence, Seattle and Washington, DC.
“Today, we have more than 5,000 alumni,” said Gerald Chertavian, Year Up Founder and CEO. “Soon we’ll have tens of thousands. YUPRO will help ensure the continued employment, advancement and long-term success of all our graduates while allowing companies to access talent with the technical and professional skills that they’re looking for.”
Kathy Hardy will serve as President of YUPRO, bringing 25 years of leadership experience in the staffing sector and workforce solution partnerships with Educational, Healthcare, Retail, Scientific and Financial institutions. Most recently the Global President of inVentiv Health Services, Hardy built teams of recruiters and resource specialists throughout 42 countries to meet the hiring needs of the top 50 Pharmaceutical companies, including Abbott and Johnson and Johnson. She will be joined by Loretta Penn, former President of Spherion Staffing Services, as YUPRO’s Executive Chair.
“Kathy and Loretta’s deep expertise and great connections in this industry will ensure that YUPRO successfully balances its social impact and profitability goals,” said Chertavian.
YUPRO aims to serve 250 Year Up alumni in 2014 and rapidly scale to serve 1,000 alumni every year by 2016. The organization will provide job placement opportunities as well as career development and additional training to ensure that Year Up graduates continue to advance in their careers.
“As graduates of one of the most effective workforce development programs in the United States, Year Up alumni are changing how corporations think about talent,” said Hardy. “Hundreds of companies already know that Year Up is a fantastic source for skilled, motivated entry-level workers. I’m excited to launch and grow YUPRO to meet their mid-level hiring needs and continue bridging the Opportunity Divide.”
Lauded by Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton for its track record of success, Year Up is a national nonprofit organization that provides urban young adults with an intensive, yearlong training program and career-focused education in growing professional industries. Eighty-five percent of Year Up’s alumni are employed and/or attending college full-time within four months of completing the program, on a path to economic self-sufficiency.
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 2,100 students a year at sites in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, Providence, San Francisco Bay Area, the National Capital Region, and Puget Sound (Seattle). To learn more, visit http://www.yearup.org or http://www.youtube.com/yearupinc.
Roberto Zeledon, Year Up, http://www.yearup.org, +1 6177843802, [email protected]
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