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Year Up and Merit America business programs will receive grants to train students in technical skills, with content from Google career certification courses in information technology support, data analytics, project management, and user experience design. Both nonprofits already use Google courses that provide general technical training but do not teach students to master Google software tools.
But experts agree that the majority of successful education programs do beyond teaching technical skills. Programs also emphasize soft skills such as teamwork, communication and a willingness to learn new things. They often provide assistance in arranging childcare and transportation. They have career coaches, social workers and counselors and support peer groups and alumni networks.
“Skills and competencies are important, but it’s also important to build a person’s social capital,” said Gerald Chertavian, founder and CEO of Year Up.
Started more than two decades ago, Year Up is now a national organization serving low-income workers aged 18 to 26. It includes three to six months of technical training followed by a six-month internship at a company. Eighty percent of its graduates are placed in jobs within four months, with an average starting salary of $44,000, more than double their previous income, the organization says.
Social Finance, which manages the investment program, plans to add a few more business training groups this year. As an independent research firm, MDRC will evaluate the performance of training and work placement programs over time.
“We will allocate more funds to the one with better results,” said Tracy Palandjian, CEO of Social Finance, who is unrelated to online lender SoFi. “It’s all about impact.”
Merit America has grown rapidly since it began offering courses in 2018. From the beginning, it was a hybrid program of self-paced online instruction, weekly face-to-face meetings with fellow students and one-on-one sessions with coaches.
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