Gaining Skills Virtually to Close the Inequality Gap

The program stands out for the size of the jump in income it has delivered for its graduates, results that have been verified by independent assessments.

Before Year Up, its students’ annual earnings ranged from $9,000 to $15,000, depending on where they lived in the country. The graduates typically land jobs that pay from $35,000 to $55,000, with the national average $42,000. Companies that have consistently hired from Year Up include Accenture, JPMorgan Chase, Salesforce, LinkedIn, Bank of America and American Express.

Typically, 75 percent of the graduates are employed within four months. Job placements have slowed this year but by less than 10 percent so far, the program said.

Year Up conducted some online experiments before, but tentative digital steps became a survival sprint in March. It’s unclear how much coursework will eventually be done remotely, though Mr. Chertavian estimated it would be half or more. “And there’s a real opportunity for us to scale up and reach more people,” he said.

The coronavirus shock to the economy has hit many Year Up students. They receive modest biweekly stipends, but most depend on the support of family members or friends or income from side jobs while they are in the full-time program.

Estefan Salgado, a Year Up intern at JP Morgan Chase, lives in the South Bronx with his wife, Carmen, and their two young children. After his wife was laid off in March, Mr. Salgado got $150 from Year Up’s Covid-19 impact fund to buy groceries and pay bills.

“It really helped me stay in the program,” said Mr. Salgado, 26, whose wife recently got a new job as a home health care worker.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/07/technology/virtual-skills-inequality-gap-virus.html