We connect youth to careers and educational pathways that provide economic stability and independence.
A Houston where every high school graduate has a clear, equitable pathway to economic mobility through high-growth, in-demand careers that drive our regional economy.
By connecting with students pursuing meaningful careers, corporate partners secure motivated, skilled employees who help fill critical talent gaps and strengthen their workforce for the future.
By connecting with students pursuing meaningful careers, corporate partners secure motivated, skilled employees who help fill critical talent gaps and strengthen their workforce for the future.
Partner with BridgeYear, a non-profit workforce development organization in Houston, to simplify the path from classroom to career. From hands-on career discovery to affordable, vetted training programs, we remove the guesswork for students and educators.
With your support, we can connect students to rewarding careers and achieve economic stability. Together, we can bridge the opportunity gap and pave the way for a brighter future.
Employers partner with BridgeYear by sponsoring a Career Test Drive® simulation at a local school, funding an Apprenticeship Cohort, or recruiting from BridgeYear’s certified graduate pool. Current partners include Gulf States Toyota, Memorial Hermann, Phillips 66, Honeywell, and Houston Methodist.
BridgeYear apprenticeship partners gain access to pre-screened, industry-trained talent with significantly lower onboarding costs. 70% of Career Cohort graduates secure employment in their trained field. Employers also benefit from reduced turnover, because candidates who earned their opportunity through a structured program have higher retention rates than open-market hires.
Foundations can support BridgeYear through direct gifts, capacity grants, or restricted funding for specific cohort tracks. BridgeYear tracks longitudinal outcomes — employment rates, wages, and career advancement — to provide funders with measurable economic mobility data. Contact info@bridge-year.org to discuss grant opportunities.
Yes. All BridgeYear programs are free or low-cost for students. Career Cohort participants receive tuition-free training or earn-while-you-learn apprenticeship placements. There is no “BridgeYear pricing” for students — the organization is fully funded through corporate partnerships, foundations, and individual donors.
Houston employers can launch an apprenticeship program through BridgeYear in four steps: define workforce needs, co-design a training curriculum with BridgeYear and a community college partner, recruit graduating seniors, and hire from the certified cohort. BridgeYear manages all candidate preparation and training coordination.
BridgeYear highlights careers that require less than a four-year degree, are in demand by Houston employers, pay a living wage, and offer advancement opportunities. Current pathways include Auto Technician, Phlebotomist, Sterile Processing Technician, Electrician, and various construction trades. All pathways are co-designed with employer partners.
Yes. BridgeYear is a skills-first workforce nonprofit that actively partners with Houston employers who have moved beyond degree requirements. Our model is built on the premise that a certified, trained candidate is more valuable to employers than an uncredentialed four-year degree holder — and our outcomes data supports this.
BridgeYear exposes youth to affordable and accessible careers that provide youth economic stability and independence.
All careers we highlight:
Why non 4-year degree pathways?:
Traditional education has long placed great emphasis on four-year degrees, forcing many students – like those who cannot afford college, those with GPAs at or below 2.5 and those who simply aren’t interested in a four-year degree – to disengage from planning their future after high school. This has caused many to feel their only options are unskilled jobs, like in retail or food service, which often offer unstable wages, zero benefits and slim opportunities for advancement.
How do you know employers are in need of BridgeYear’s careers?
Instead of relying solely on workforce data, we partner directly with employers and corporate sponsors to learn what labor gaps they are facing now and in the future so we can help them recruit for their most immediate needs. Currently, we have partnerships with Gulf States Toyota, to promote the career of automotive technician, and the National Kitchen and Bath Association, to promote trade careers in the kitchen and bath industry including Electrician, Finish Carpenter, and Kitchen and Bath Designer.
Graduating high schoolers from low-income communities are part of the most vulnerable populations affected by the current crisis. COVID-19 has made their transition to college and the workforce less secure than ever, compromising crucial employment years that impact opportunities to escape poverty.
According to a national survey conducted by Equitable Futures early in the pandemic, the coronavirus crisis has caused young people to feel great uncertainty about their future. Among a sample of “Black and Hispanic youth and white young people from households with lower incomes,” the percent of those who reported feeling very clear about their future job or career dropped from 43% in 2019 to 27% in 2020. The report also showed that a majority of youth value college differently with nearly 1 in 3 claiming they now think college is not worth pursuing compared to pre-pandemic. Today, this situation is expected to be worse due to plunging community college enrollment (NSCRC) and a 102% increase in student debt over the last decade (US Federal Reserve). These shifts all point to an important reality: youth need help forging non 4-year pathways that won’t trap them in a cycle of poverty.
Advanced youth, especially high school seniors and opportunity youth, have been BridgeYear’s primary programming focus since 2016. Our Career Test Drive® program helps youth plan their path out of high school by exposing them to affordable, in-demand pathways they can pursue immediately.
To better prepare all students for opportunities after high school, BridgeYear offers our Career Test Drive® program to 7th-9th graders to increase awareness and strengthen career choice.
For 7th through 9th graders, our program was designed to help students make informed decisions that will prepare them for viable career paths after high school. As a result of House Bill 5, 8th grade students in Texas are asked to select an endorsement area for their high school studies. Selecting an endorsement – and specifically, selecting a Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathway within an endorsement – offers students the opportunity to earn a free, industry-recognized credential. Yet when so few students receive these industry recognized certificates in the greater Houston area, too many students are missing this opportunity to become competitive in today’s workforce.
By exposing youth to in-demand careers they can get obtain accreditation for during high school, our Career Test Drive® program helps students decide what CTE pathway aligns with their skills and interests and inspires them to optimize their time in high school to succeed in the workforce.
Our Career Lab program offers two facilitation options: our full-service BridgeYear Facilitation option and a Self/Teacher Facilitation option.
BridgeYear Facilitation
Available to schools and organizations located within the Greater Houston area. For those outside Houston, BridgeYear Facilitation is available for an additional cost to cover travel.
Self/Teacher Facilitation
Available to schools and organizations located outside the Greater Houston area. For those inside Houston, BridgeYear Facilitation is already factored into your quote.
Via our full-service model (BridgeYear Facilitation) or through pre-recorded videos (Self/Teacher Facilitation), our Career Lab program will lead your students through in-depth career exploration all from the comfort of your classroom:
This experiential learning program provides schools and teachers an accessible experience they can implement with each class period throughout an entire school day.
