Graduation ceremony for Year Up Greater Philadelphia class six celebrated the hard work, determination and achievements of it's young adults

PHILADELPHIA, PA (PRWEB) FEBRUARY 22, 2017

Celebrating four years of providing access to livable-wage careers for low-income youth and its sixth graduating class, the workforce development nonprofit Year Up Greater Philadelphia (YUGP) held its graduation ceremony at the Independence Visitors Center on January 18, 2017. Twenty-six young adults received certificates from Year Up recognizing their successful completion of the yearlong program.

Founded in Boston in 2000 and now located in 19 cities across the U.S., Year Up provides young adults (ages 18-24, without college degrees) with in-demand technical and professional skills training followed by professional internships at Fortune 500 firms.

At the event, Year Up Greater Philadelphia presented its Corporate Champion Award to Carlos Cotto, Vice President at BNY Mellon. The award acknowledges Mr. Cotto and BNY Mellon’s commitment to Year Up program participants, including their investments in interns’ professional development. Year Up Greater Philadelphia also presented its Urban Empowerment Award to Beth Allen, Director of Recruitment at PHH Mortgage. The award acknowledges Ms. Allen’s commitment to empowering young adults from the Greater Philadelphia community to reach their potential.

“This is only the beginning. Our Class 6 graduates now have the tools to succeed and create a brighter future for themselves and their families. Our corporate partners, community leaders, staff and supporters are proud of our students and we are one step closer to closing the Opportunity Divide.” – Joseph Coyle, Executive Director, Year Up Greater Philadelphia.

In 2017 Year Up Greater Philadelphia will serve over 140 young adults at the Peirce College campus, where students also work towards completing an Associate’s Degree. Since 2013, Year Up Greater Philadelphia has helped more than 260 talented young adults gain professional and technical skills in areas such as Business Operations and Information Technology.

Nationwide, 85 percent of Year Up graduates are employed or attending college full-time within four months of completing the program, with an average starting salary of $36,000/year. Learn more about Year Up Greater Philadelphia by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @YearUpGP.

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-level coursework. 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 3,600 students annually across 24 campuses in Arizona, Baltimore, Bay Area, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Greater Atlanta, Greater Boston, Greater Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, National Capital Region, New York City, Providence, Puget Sound, South Florida and Wilmington. To learn more, visit http://www.yearup.org, and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter: @YearUp