Gerald Chertavian

At Year Up, our students - low income 18-24 year olds - come to us having already faced substantial obstacles in life. They are not in search of a handout; what they want most of all is the ability to take ownership of their own futures.

Businesses are no longer receiving the cost savings from outsourcing that they once did.

When it comes to expanding opportunity, businesses and young adults are not the sources of the problem - they are a substantial part of the solution.

Year Up for me is a year in which the young adults that we serve have an opportunity to move up in their lives and gain the access and opportunity they need to realize their potential.

The ABC's are attitude, behavior and communication skills.

College today is an expensive option without a lot of economies of scale, right, when you go and live at a college. So you have a system that's increasing its cost base by probably five percent a year.

The Opportunity Divide doesn't just keep our students disconnected from the mainstream economy; it prevents our businesses from growing.

Many training programs and often schools focus on just a skill or a kind of work competency. That's only half the equation.

You can learn what you want to learn through hard work. And a good employer will teach you what you want to learn as long as you show the right attitude and behaviors.