As the Peirce – Year Up partnership is well into its second year,
the program continues to break ground in innovative areas that are preparing
students for careers in cutting edge fields.
If you’re not familiar with Year Up, it is a non-profit organization founded in 2000 that connects
low-income young adults to career opportunities in corporate America. The
program combines hands-on skill development, college credit, and corporate
internships to prepare students for success in professional careers and higher
education. Students who enroll gain key soft skills, like networking and
teambuilding, along with hard skills through Peirce coursework, like business
and IT knowledge along with customized training from Year Up and our corporate
partners.
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Year Up By the Numbers Click to Enlarge |
In 2014, we graduated two cohorts of 13 students from the
Philadelphia program. 100% of graduates re-matriculated into college after
graduation. About 40% of our 2014 graduates had job offers upon graduation, and
Year Up works with the others to secure job opportunities.
One of the more innovative developments is the launch of the
anti-money laundering career track. We have a corporate partner that has a need
in this area. They want us to bring them talented students that can learn and
grow in this job sector. This new initiative, which was first piloted in Year
Up, NYC, will combine training from Peirce, the Year Up program, and the
corporate partner, and students will begin this program in the summer.
Anti-money laundering deals with how an institution creates checks
and balances to ensure that people aren’t committing a variety of fraudulent
activities. This area of practice requires examining detailed public records,
learning how to piece together information from disparate sources, the ability
to synthesize, clear writing and communication, and, of course, acute attention
to detail.
We anticipate continuing to develop the Peirce-Year Up anti-money
laundering initiative by learning what the corporate partner needs and how
Peirce and Year up can respond to those needs by preparing students.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Year Up – Peirce
College partnership and how you can participate, you can complete an interest form
online, contact the recruitment
manager, Craig Smith at 215.670.9394, or visit the Year Up office in Alumni
Hall.