By Catie George, Director, Communications & Storytelling
In June, the Dallas Regional Chamber (DRC) hosted a roundtable discussion featuring Ellen McClain, CEO and President of the workforce development organization Year Up, which recently rebranded as Year Up United to better reflect its comprehensive suite of offerings for employers and young adults. DRC President & CEO Dale Petroskey spoke with McClain about her recent appointment as President and CEO, Year Up United’s mission, and how companies can get involved.
The conversation focused on the growing skills-first talent practices movement, where employers prioritize skills over degrees. In large cities like Dallas, where over 50% of residents ages 25-34 do not have a college degree, this practice is imperative to increase access to the skilled talent that drives innovation and growth.
Below are key takeaways from the discussion.
Leading the Way in the Skills-First Movement: About Year Up United
Since its founding 24 years ago, Year Up United has equipped historically overlooked talent with essential skills and helped employers operationalize skills-first talent practices.
“When we assess whether someone’s a fit for our Career Pathways training, what we’re really testing for is, ‘Can you get across whatever your barriers are?’” said McClain. “The measure of someone’s talent is not a function of the obstacles they face.”
What sets Year Up United apart is its commitment to young adults and the effectiveness of its program as measured by a federally-funded, randomized controlled trial, which showed participants continue to earn 30% more than the control group six years post-program.
Because its approach is demand-driven and market-focused, Year Up United’s primary metric of success is how many of its participants secure family-sustaining careers — holding themselves to a standard of training for relevant disciplines that corporations find valuable.
Though best known for its training program, Year Up United also works within corporations to smooth the path for skills-first talent practices.
“Year Up United is so important to what we do for the under-championed young adults in our area to be able to get work experience and the right orientation into the work world so they can be sticky because that’s a big piece of this,” said Petroskey. “Year Up United provides a very important service to our community, young adults, and employers.”
Building on a Foundation of Strength: Year Up United in Dallas
In Dallas, Year Up United serves young adults at Dallas College and through centralized, virtual programs that allow for consistent quality delivery to companies with a national presence. Both programs include a work-based experience at a company and use a skills-first, foundational education model that focuses on enabling entry and succession across various career pathways and roles.
Year Up United has served more than 1,550 young adults (ages 18-29) in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and over 45,000 young adults nationwide.
Last year, Year Up United began offering services to enable high school students to build the professional skills necessary to launch their careers. Participating schools have the choice of offering students either a two-week boot camp or a semester course through Year Up United’s partnership with Tarrant County’s To & Through Partnership. They’re now looking to expand this offering to high schools in Dallas County.
How Year Up United’s Practice Comes to Life Within Corporate America
Year Up United is always looking to connect with companies seeking to source talent.
One corporation partnering with Year Up United to source talent across various roles and locations is Bank of America.
“We’re all trying to find Hispanic and Latino talent. It’s the one area we all struggle in. [Year Up United is] producing the best talent there is in that demographic,” said Jennifer Chandler, Head of Philanthropic Solutions and Market President at Bank of America. “The skill training is very real. We reskilled 34,000 [workers] last year at [Bank of America]. Jobs just change too fast, so mortgages stop being in demand because of rates, and we have to shift into cybersecurity.”
Chandler also challenged meeting attendees to hire a Year Up United graduate or host a Year Up United intern to help Dallas Thrives reach its goal of doubling the number of young adults earning a living wage by 2040.
“Achieving this mission means rethinking what pathways to success look like, for employers as well as young people and their families,” said McClain. “For many young people, securing a well-paying job and then attending college part-time makes more sense than going directly to college after high school. And for employers, hiring talent with the right skills — even if they don’t have a college degree — has been shown to increase retention and engagement.”
Companies that don’t hire entry-level can talk to Year Up United’s subsidiary, YUPRO Placement, which was designed to support graduates for their second, third, or fourth jobs.
To learn more about Year Up United and how to get your company involved, visit their website.
To learn more about the work the DRC is doing in Education, Talent, and Workforce, visit our website.