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I
f you’ve ever struggled to find a bright, motivated
intern, or to fill a mid-level position with a highly-
skilled candidate, you won’t be surprised by this
fact: in the next decade, 12 million American jobs will
go unfilled. And in the US today, 6 million young people
are what is called “disconnected” - they’ve either
dropped out or graduated from high school, they are
not in college, and they’re unemployed.
As Chief Information Officer at Marketo, a marketing
software firm headquartered in San Mateo, I’ve watched
youth unemployment rates soar with growing concern.
I’ve also seen my IT team struggle to find bright,
motivated, educated people to fill our IT positions. So
I’ve often wondered: how can we help close this gap?
That’s why, when I first heard about Year Up, I knew
that Marketo had to get involved. Year Up is bridging
the gap between two major problems: young people
struggling with unemployment, and companies
struggling to find qualified candidates for their teams.
Here’s how it works: Year Up gives low-income
young adults (ages 18-24) six months of intensive,
interpersonal, professional training in a classroom
setting. These students learn skills that most people
don’t learn until after college - tangible technical skills
such as desktop support, customer service and
investment operations, along with professional skills,
like presenting to a room full of co-workers, time
management and working in teams.
The classrooms use a “high expectation, high support”
model - standards are extremely high, but if the
students are motivated and committed, the program
gives them every possible kind of support. Students
meet with their Year Up advisors every week, connect
with mentors from their local business community, and
have access to one-on-one tutoring at all times.
For the second half of the year, these young men and
women put their new knowledge to work. Each one is
placed in an internship at a participating company, like
Marketo, where they get the kind of on-site experience
many young candidates lack. The numbers speak for
themselves: within four months of graduation, 85% of
Year Up graduates either have full-time jobs (making
an average of $30,000 a year) or are attending college.
There are a couple of reasons that Year Up’s mission
affects me so deeply. On a professional level, Year Up
helps solve a huge staffing problem for technology
leaders like Marketo. But on a more personal level,
I’m moved by Year Up’s desire to help young people
who are bright, motivated, and at a disadvantage for
reasons beyond their control.
Marketo got involved with Year Up back in 2012. Our
first intern worked in IT desktop support, setting up
computers and troubleshooting technical problems
for our employees. He was a “tinkerer” by nature -
he loved fixing and building things - and because
of Year Up’s intensive training, he knew how to
conduct himself professionally. Most importantly, he
was naturally customer-focused - and Marketo’s IT
people need to be personable and patient, not just
good with computers.
Each week, I met with him for one-on-one coaching,
making sure he was getting the necessary support
from myself and from the program. After six months
of interning with us, I hired him on as a temporary
contractor. I would’ve liked to hire him permanently,
but as much as we wanted him to stay, I wanted him
back in school even more. We wrote him a glowing
college recommendation, and supported him through
the application process. I’m pleased to report that he’s
now well on his way to earning a college degree.
Marketo accepted our second intern soon after the
first, and we’ve just started our third intern. Year Up
helps us honor our commitment to corporate social
responsibility, which we take very seriously, but it gives
us back a lot in return. We’ve loved every Year Up intern
who walked through our door, and I’d like to personally
encourage you to learn more about the program.
For everyone involved, Year Up is a win-win.
HR
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
r
Empowering Urban Talent
to Reach Their Potential
Year Up:
By Marketo CIO Greg Higham
