Congressman Stephen F. Lynch announced that the U.S. House of Representatives has approved $100,000 in federal funding for the expansion of the headquarters of the non-profit community organization “Year Up.”  The headquarters are located on Summer Street in Boston. The funding is included in the Transportation-Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act for FY 2008, which now heads to the U.S. Senate.

 

Congressman Lynch originally secured $100,000 for expansion of the headquarters of Year Up during the Fiscal Year 2007 appropriations process, but the funding, along with all other earmarks, was stripped out of the final Transportation-HUD Appropriations bill when the Congress deadlocked over spending. Lynch successfully lobbied to restore the funding for Year Up in this year’s bill.

 

Year Up is a one-year technology training and professional development program that prepares high school graduates and GED recipients for well-paying careers and higher education.  Year Up trainees gain six months of hands-on technical and professional training and are also placed in a six-month IT-focused apprenticeship with major corporations in the business community.

 

“Year Up provides training and opportunity for hundreds of young men and women every year,” said Congressman Stephen F. Lynch.  “Graduates of Year Up are better prepared to succeed in the modern day workplace and they're better prepared to help propel the Boston business community forward.”

 

“We are incredibly grateful to Congressman Lynch and the U.S. House of Representatives for their commitment to our program,” said Gerald Chertavian, Founder and CEO of Year Up. “This funding will enable us to reach further into the communities we serve and provide more opportunities for urban young adults to earn family sustaining wages and pursue higher education.”

  

Earlier this year, after lengthy discussions with the leadership of Year Up, including Board Member Craig Underwood, and a senior representative from State Street Corporation (one of Year Up’s strongest corporate partners), Congressman Lynch approached Republican and Democratic leaders on the House Appropriations Committee to formally request federal funding for the expansion of their headquarters.  Congressman Lynch was notified that the funding would be included in the final House version of the bill, which was overwhelmingly approved by the House today, and will now be sent to the Senate for its approval.

 

Lynch added, “I am pleased that the House of Representatives has recognized the impact that Year Up has on its talented graduates and on their employers.  This investment of federal dollars will enable founder Gerald Chertavian and his staff to build on their success and train hundreds more skilled workers for our technology-driven economy.”

-30-