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Tools & Resources
How Student Loan Debt Has Changed Over The Past Decade
This report outlines how the decades worth of changes around student loan debt have grown, state by state, giving a more in-depth look at a barrier facing Opportunity ...
click to downloadInvesting in Entry-Level Talent
This guide provides strategies, best practices, and the business benefits for retaining entry-level employees.
click to downloadBuilding the Business Case for Opportunity Youth Talent Pipelines
This business case framework highlights the metrics companies should track to understand the economic value of their commitments to Opportunity Youth talent development.
click to downloadPartnership Process Overview
This partnership management tool outlines the roles of the employer and the workforce training provider in successfully collaborating to develop Opportunity Youth tale...
click to downloadGuide to Mentoring Boys and Young Men of Color
The Guide serves as a supplement to the fourth edition of The Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring, and includes additional recommended practices focusing on b...
click to downloadWork-and-Learn in Action: Success Strategies for Employers
This guidebook introduces employers, educators and others to a range of options along the work-and-learn continuum to help them find an approach that works for their o...
click to downloadCEB Employer Playbook
Interested in learning how to recruit, hire, and develop tech talent from non-traditional sources? Check out CEB’s Employer Playbook, which includes best practices and...
click to downloadManaging the Talent Pipeline: Employer Checklist
Want to develop a robust pipeline of young talent but not sure where to start? Here's a checklist to help you start considering how to create internal programs and sta...
click to downloadMissing Makers: How to Rebuild America's Manufacturing Workforce
The U.S. manufacturing workforce is aging rapidly, with half of the existing workforce only 10–15 years away from retirement. Yet, many American manufacturing employer...
click to downloadSchool-to-Work Guide
This guide provides a roadmap for any company that wants to build or expand a school-to-work pathway for Opportunity Youth.
click to downloadROI & Cost-Benefit Analysis
Understanding the value of your company's investment in Opportunity Youth is important as it would be for any other business initiative.
click to downloadInternship Guide
This guide provides a roadmap for any company that wants to build or expand an internship program for Opportunity Youth.
click to downloadHiring Guide
This guide provides a roadmap for any company that wants to build or expand a hiring program for Opportunity Youth.
click to downloadGain Company Buy-In
Show leaders that building en employment pathway is good for business - a win for your bottom line, your employees, your community and the Opportunity Youth being served.
click to downloadMentoring Guide
This guide provides a roadmap for any company that wants to build or expand a mentoring program for Opportunity Youth.
click to downloadHow to Choose a Partner Organization
No matter what employment pathway you're interested in pursuing, partner organizations can help you reach your business goals.
click to downloadMentor Mentee Contact Information
Form to track contact information between mentor and mentee.
click to downloadWhy Companies Invest in "Grow Your Own" Talent Development Models
Investigates why companies invest significantly in workforce readiness for their lower-skilled and entry-level workers.
click to downloadA Talent Development Solution: Exploring Business Drivers and Returns in Learn and Earn Partnerships
Provides a summary of research identifying the practices, characteristics, and returns of innovative, business-led partnerships between employers and education providers.
click to downloadPotential Challenges and Solutions
Overview of top challenges employers face when developing a mentoring initiative and potential solutions.
click to downloadNational Roadmap for Opportunity Youth
Describes what is known about Opportunity Youth and the existing efforts at the local, state and national levels to help them reconnect.
click to downloadThe Partnering Toolbook
Overview of essential elements that make for effective partnering.
click to downloadPartner Identification Litmus Test
Overview of eight underlying themes that have emerged from the study of successful business and community partnerships.
click to downloadMentoring Communications Plan
Guidelines to developing a communications strategy for your company.
click to downloadFirst Meeting Form
Blank form for mentors to use to meet his/her mentee for the first time.
click to downloadActivity Tracking Form
Mentoring activity log for mentor.
click to downloadDollars and Sense How Career First Programs
Highlights the emerging partnership between leading businesses and Year Up to bridge the gap for both young people and employers.
click to downloadCollective Impact for Opportunity Youth
Call-to-action for communities to bring together systems and stakeholders to improve outcomes for Opportunity Youth and to provide a high-level framework for a collect...
click to downloadFact Sheet, Community Solutions for Opportunity Youth
Highlights key recommendations from the White House Council for Community Solutions report.
click to downloadOpportunities in the Workforce Readiness Pipeline A Community Engagement Toolkit for Business
Assists business leaders in cultivating relationships with community leaders, building foundations for success community partnerships and aligning a business' communit...
click to downloadNews and Company Success Stories
News Story

7-Second Resume Wins Best Practices - Talent Invention | Adweek Project Isaac 2019 Awards
The 7-Second Resume campaign was named one of Adweek's Project Isaac 2019 winners in the Best Practices...
read moreNews Story

Grads of Life's Dismissed by Degrees Report Featured In Washington Post
We are honored to share that Dismissed By Degrees, our joint study with Harvard Business School and Accenture on...
read moreNews Story

7-Second Studio Selected As Finalist for MIT Solve Challenge 2019
From 1400+ global submissions, our 7-Second Studio App solution was chosen as one of the Finalists in the Community-Driven Innovation...
read moreLenovo Case Study

SUCCESS STORY:
Lenovo, in partnership with NAF and MIT, are encouraging high school students to consider careers in STEM by providing an innovative curriculum centered on mobile app development and delivery. This curriculum is delivered through their joint...
read moreTarget Case Study

SUCCESS STORY:
In its seventh year of partnership with Genesys Works, upscale discount retailer Target has provided almost 160 internships to students in their senior year of high school.
read moreKirkland & Ellis LLP Case Study

SUCCESS STORY:
Kirkland and Ellis LLP partnered with Genesys Works to gain access to a pool of talented high school interns to help support their IT team. In addition to gaining valuable professional work experience, the interns also...
read moreNews Story

New Report Highlights Innovative Employers Building Opportunity Youth Talent Pipelines
We are excited to share the release of our new report, Workforce Wins, a companion piece to
read moreNews Story

AHLA President Highlights Hotel Industry Economic Impact
American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) president and CEO Katherine Lugar today pledged to partner with U.S. mayors to strengthen communities, build a modern, dynamic...
read moreNews Story

Hotel Trade Groups Seek Solutions To Labor-Shortage Problem
LOS ANGELES -- At the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS), U.S. and Canadian hotel trade groups announced programs to address a hospitality labor shortage.
The...
read moreNews Story

Rya Conrad-Bradshaw Featured on Entrepreneur Weekly Podcast
Click here to listen to the podcast.
read moreNews Story

New Report On The Harmful Effects Of Degree Inflation
By requesting that applicants have four-year degrees for positions that didn’t previously require them, businesses are making it harder for themselves to find talent for...
read moreNews Story

More Than What's On Paper: Being Empowered By Change
What I remember most about my school years was playing video games. I don’t remember exactly what my first video game was but I remember...
read moreNews Story

Career Readiness: Whose Responsibility Is It, Anyway?
A funny thing happens during the time students begin to wrap up their college and career-preparation programs and prepare to enter the workforce. With diploma...
read moreBest Buy Case Study

SUCCESS STORY:
With the help of a variety of training programs and national nonprofit organizations, Best Buy is striving towards closing the opportunity divide by providing Opportunity Youth with the important technical skills that they need to...
read moreAon Case Study

SUCCESS STORY:
Aon works to close the skills and training gaps in the financial services industry while also improving their own business through their inaugural U.S. Apprenticeship Program. Through the apprenticeships, the participants are able to gain...
read moreIBM Case Study

SUCCESS STORY:
IBM addresses the high-tech skills gap through its New Collar Jobs initiative that places emphasis on jobs that value capabilities over credentials. IBM also works with policymakers to expand the amount of career-oriented training pathways...
read moreLyondellBasell Case Study

SUCCESS STORY:
Through a partnership with San Jacinto College, called the “San Jacinto College Project”, high school graduates and unemployed young people are recruited to work in the petrochemical industry.
read moreQualcomm Case Study

SUCCESS STORY:
Qualcomm works hard to inspire and cultivate the next generation of STEM workers. This STEM initiative engages a broad range of students through exposing them to the possibilities that lie ahead of them.
read moreSAP Case Study

SUCCESS STORY:
SAP is partnering with over 500 schools and universities to build technology skills. SAP has also created the University Alliances (UA) program, which exposes students and faculty to the latest technologies and SAP’s software.
read more3M Case Study

SUCCESS STORY:
Through their Science Training Engagement (STEP) Program and partnerships with various schools and diversity-based organizations, 3M is able to target a diverse and talented group of high school students and pair them with the company’s...
read moreOchsner Health System Case Study

SUCCESS STORY:
Ochsner Health Systems, Louisiana’s largest not-for-profit health system, developed flexible workforce training programs and valuable community partnerships to increase economic opportunities and close the health disparity gap in communities across the state.
read moreNews Story

More Than What's On Paper: How Gaining Independence Created A Pathway To Success
At the age of 16, I was legally emancipated.
I come from a family of 6 and was raised in...
read moreNews Story

More Than What's On Paper: My Journey To Success Was A Pathway To Finding Me
Let me tell you a story, one that is nonlinear and begins after a loving Korean family living in Harlem,...
read moreNews Story

Redefining The Way Companies Build A Twenty-First Century Workforce
By Elyse Rosenblum
Our initiative, Grads of Life, sits at a unique crossroads of workforce training organizations, employers, social innovators and thought...
read moreNews Story

Hilton Celebrates World Youth Skills Day
Travel and tourism is the fastest growing job sector in the world, with 86 million new jobs projected to be filled globally by 2026. At...
read moreNews Story

Advancing Apprenticeships
This article was initially published on Inside Higher ED.
A few weeks ago, President Trump announced plans for advancing apprenticeships and work-based learning...
read moreNews Story

A Job Training Initiative The Trump Administration Should Support
Donald Trump was elected president, in part, because of his success at speaking to the indignity that many working-class Americans...
read moreNews Story

Strong Social Enterprises Boost Individual Lives And The Nation's Economy
When the baseball season started and new youth started their jobs at our sites in Atlanta, Seattle, San Francisco, and...
read morePacific Gas and Electric Company Case Study

SUCCESS STORY:
Seeking to build a diverse and talented future workforce while enhancing opportunities for undeserved communities PG&E formed a partnership with non-profit Genesys Works.
read moreNews Story

A Landmark Event To Connect Chicago's Youth To Career Opportunity
A purposeful energy and determination was palpable at LeadersUp’s Chicago Career 360: The Experience. Young adults from across the Chicagoland...
read moreTraining Partners
No partners were found for your search criteria. Here is a list of national providers.
No national partners were found.
Year Up: Boston

Partner Description
Year Up Boston seeks to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their pot...
read moreJuma Ventures

Partner Description
In 1993, Juma Ventures became the first nonprofit organization to own and operate a commercial franchise, a Ben and Jerry's Scoop Shop that provided jobs to a handful ...
read moreLeadersUp

Partner Description
Established in 2013 by the Starbucks Corporation and launched by some of its largest U.S. suppliers, the mission of LeadersUp is to bridge the divide between the untap...
read moreNPower

Partner Description
NPower mobilizes the tech community and provides individuals, nonprofits and schools the opportunity to build tech skills and achieve their potential.
A...
Urban Alliance

Partner Description
Headquartered in Washington, DC, Urban Alliance partners with businesses to provide youth in under-resourced communities a continuum of services that include: 1) profe...
read moreGenesys Works: National Capital Region

Partner Description
Genesys Works is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that enables inner-city high school students to break through barriers and discover through meaningful work ex...
read morePer Scholas: National Capital Region

Partner Description
Per Scholas is a national nonprofit organization that generates powerful technology education, training and career opportunities for people who are un- and underemploy...
read moreGoodwill Easter Seals | Miami Valley
YouthBuild Boston

Partner Description
YouthBuild Boston (YBB) was founded in 1990 with the goal of providing underserved young people with the support and credentials needed to successfully enter the trade...
read moreAll Stars Project

Partner Description
The All Star project seeks to serve inner-city youth through its three-pronged commitments: community, performance, and creativity. All Star's project houses a robust ...
read morei.c.stars

Partner Description
i.c.stars was founded in 1999 to develop 1,000 community leaders by 2020. i.c.stars targets a particular population of young adults that is not being effectively serve...
read moreFareStart

Partner Description
FareStart is a solution to some of our society's most pressing challenges—homelessness, joblessness, poverty and hunger. This model works because we are both an effect...
read moreBridges from School to Work

Partner Description
Established in 1989 by the Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities, Bridges from School to Work (Bridges) engages employers, schools, community resources, you...
read moreSt. Louis Job Corps Center
Goodwill Industries of Central Michigan's Heartland, Inc.

Partner Description
Goodwill Industries International was founded in 1902. Currently, they do work in Battle Creek and Jackson counties. Currently, they offer various Youth training progr...
read moreYouthBuild Quincy and Training Resources of America, Inc.

Partner Description
YouthBuild is designed to provide low-income, out-of-school youth, aged 16-24 with an opportunity to transform their lives and become contributing partners in the comm...
read moreGeneral Assembly

Partner Description
General Assembly is advancing the future of work. We create sustainable talent pipelines for businesses and build transparent career pathways to the most transformatio...
read moreSTRIVE International

Partner Description
STRIVE today is a national leader in helping individuals from underserved communities receive the training and support they need to obtain meaningful employment and ac...
read moreAfterCollege

Partner Description
AfterCollege has a lofty vision: to help every college student and recent graduate discover their career path. In our 15 year history, AfterCollege has become the lar...
read moreNational Guard Youth Foundation

Partner Description
The National Guard Youth Foundation (NGYF) is a private Foundation that supports over 9,000 drug-free high school aged “at-risk” youth ages 16 to 18. These are youth t...
read moreTaco Bell Foundation for Teens

Partner Description
Taco Bell is a brand with a purpose … to feed people’s lives with más: más flavor, más heart and más value. Taco Bells puts their heart into everything they do and is ...
read moreNAF

Partner Description
NAF solves some of the biggest challenges facing education and workforce development by bringing education, business, and community leaders together to transform the h...
read moreEckerd Connects

Partner Description
Eckerd's Career Connections Program serves youth aged 16-24 who are out of school and out of work. The primary goals the program are to provide occupational skills tra...
read moreHire KC

Partner Description
Hire KC Youth aligns and organizes the region’s work-based experiences to support opportunity equity, and illuminate career pathways so that all youth can learn and gr...
read moreJane Addams Resource Corporation

Partner Description
We can help you fill many of your entry-level manufacturing positions. Our job seeker training programs are industry-driven and focus on computer numerical control (CN...
read moreJobs R 4 U

Partner Description
About the Organization: Founded September 2014, Jobs R 4 U is a 501©(3) organization that exists to ensure economic equity and empowerment for all, especially women, y...
read moreLatin American Youth Center

Partner Description
LAYC's mission is to empower a diverse population of youth to achieve a successful transition to adulthood through multi-cultural, comprehensive, and innovative progra...
read moreMaryland New Directions

Partner Description
Career Focus
MND's award winning Career Focus program provides comprehensive services emphasizing career planning, rapid placement, adequate wages, and long ter...
Petaluma People Services Center

Partner Description
Petaluma People Services Center is dedicated to improving the social and economic health of our community by providing programs that strengthen the dignity and self-su...
read moreTaller San Jose Hope Builders

Partner Description
Orange County-based Hope Builders equips disadvantaged youth, who lack opportunity, with the job training and life skills needed to achieve enduring success.
HAVE QUESTIONS?
Grads of Life works with employers and employer networks to design Opportunity Youth talent strategies that can be brought to scale. Ready to build a national strategy? Contact us.