by Dear Year Up partners and supporters,
Earlier this month, transformative, bipartisan economic mobility legislation was introduced by Representatives Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) and David McKinley (WV-01) in the U.S. House. With America Forward and other partners, Year Up has worked on this evidence-scaling and evidence-building initiative for months leading up to this introduction.
Please consider taking a moment to sign this letter—on behalf of yourself or your organization—led by our partner America Forward, voicing your support for the bipartisan Expanding Pathways to Employment Act by end of day Wednesday, July 28.
The Expanding Pathways to Employment Act will make critical investments in both proven approaches and promising, innovative strategies to make our economy more inclusive and equitable for all workers.
As we emerge from the pandemic, it is more important than ever that our workers have the skills that are in high demand. Investing in proven workforce development programs will help ensure we close the skilled workers gap, create good-paying jobs in our communities, and help aid in our economic recovery.
Representative David McKinley (WV-01)
As you know, Year Up’s latest results from PACE, a monumental, long-term evaluation study, showed that Year Up’s earnings impacts continue to be the largest ever reported for a workforce program. Not only that, but a cost-benefit analysis showed that every $1 invested in Year Up results in a gain to society of $1.66—at scale, that means that a $100M investment in Year Up could generate a return of $166M.
This bill reserves half of the $700M for workforce development programs shown to be effective, with a good return on investment and well-conducted randomized evaluations. If enacted, this bill could invest tens of millions of federal funds in Year Up and other workforce programs like it over the coming decade, enabling us to empower and upskill thousands more young adults.
To support this legislation:
- Sign this letter on behalf of yourself or your organization
- Read a one page summary of the proposal, or the full legislation
Thank you for your support in making our economy more inclusive and equitable. With initiatives like these, we are making progress toward economic and racial justice for all.
Be well,
Gerald