Global Business Coalition for Education

Youth Skills and Employment Accelerator

The Accelerator is a network of leading community organizations focused on delivering quality, innovative results-oriented skills programming for youth in the United States. Each year, select organizations gain access to resources, expertise and partnerships with the private sector to create workforce opportunities for all American youth.

Justin van Fleet, CEO

A Message from our CEO

More than one in ten young people in the U.S. — around four million American Gen-Zers — are not in education, employment or training. At the same time, employers are increasingly reporting difficulty in finding candidates with the skills needed for today’s workforce – including 90% of small businesses.

From technology and manufacturing to retail and customer service, there is a missing link between skills and job opportunities. To address the disconnect, the Global Business Coalition for Education’s Accelerator brings together cohorts of community-based nonprofits working to enhance the quality and scale youth skills initiatives and connects them to a network of expert trainers, corporate partners, employee volunteer and pro-bono services, and accelerator funding opportunities.

The results speak for themselves: participating community-based organizations have expanded their work and helped more young people enter jobs and apprenticeship programs. And we have been approached by new partners to replicate the model in other regions around the world.

We look forward to working with more youth-serving organizations and businesses to help young people have the skills necessary for the future of work.

Our impact so far

Now in its third year, the Accelerator has engaged 43 organizations in 28 states, which collectively reach over 250,000 young people – and have interest to expand the model internationally.

The organizations participating in the Accelerator have helped:

  • 6,320 youth attain internships or job-shadowing for the first time
  • 9,481 young people land their first job
  • 47,690 participate in youth skills program as direct beneficiaries

To see the network and learn more about the current 2024/5 cohort go here.

We are proud to support this holistic initiative that drives innovation at the community level.

Maia Wagner, Director of Giving and Impact and Digital Inclusion portfolio lead, Dell Technologies

The Accelerator is a one-year program, including:

  • Recruitment: A call for applications is open all year with application deadlines set in mid-November for the following year.

  • Workshops and programming: Including corporate pro-bono opportunities, fundraising, peer resource sharing, and “on-demand topics” like AI and nonprofit leadership.

  • Corporate pro-bono support: Opportunities for technology donations, hosting employee volunteers on site, pro-bono consulting and training programs from our corporate partners.

  • Pitch sessions: Each cohort culminates in a showcase of idea pitches for local businesses and other stakeholders to gain new insights and potentially secure financial support.

  • Networking: Participants receive stipends to attend regional or national conferences to build their networks.

  • Long-term support: At the end of the year, participants move into our alumni network and have opportunities to continue to engage with past and future cohorts.

We're excited to be a part of the Accelerator, which will support us in aligning Detroit youth with stable careers.

Angelica Williams, Associate Director of Youth Engagement, LIFE Leaders Inc., Detroit, MI

We’re joining the Youth Skills and Employment Accelerator to better equip NYC’s young talent with the skills and opportunities they need to thrive in our city’s dynamic workforce.

Carolyn Silver, Executive Director, Futures and Options, New York, NY

By being part of the Accelerator, we hope to enhance our programs with innovative strategies and partnerships that prepare young people for the evolving job market.

Marcy Raymond, Chief Strategy Officer, PAST Foundation, Columbus, OH

Meet some of our Accelerator participants:

Helping the Global Business Coalition for Education Unlock Employment Opportunities

We’d like to say thank you to our partners who have provided support for the Youth Skills and Employment Accelerator.

If you’d like to see your logo alongside this group of businesses, please contact us [email protected]

Project participant Ciara speaks to Ara Anoshiravani, Deloitte. Southern California College Access Network (SoCal CAN), winners of the Skills Friendly Cities challenge (Big Ideas, Bright Cities) 2023 are visited to be congratulated by Caroline Macaulay from GBC-Education/Theirworld and Ara Anoshiravani, Education and Workforce Development Leader, Deloitte.

The Business Case

Businesses supporting in the Accelerator program have opportunities to enhance brand recognition and strengthen community ties. The model allows for companies to provide pro-bono products and services to support Accelerator participants. Moreover, companies with employee engagement programs can set up employee volunteerism activities at participating organizations or engage employees in coaching and skill-building training. It is also possible to align employee giving with vetted accelerator non-profits through bespoke presentations and team-building activities.

Elizabeth Guevara, Danny Garcia, Maryori Hernandez, Lina Calderon-Morin, Niña Abonal and Tiara Collier with Caroline Macaulay, GBC-Education/Theirworld. Southern California College Access Network (SoCal CAN), winners of the Skills Friendly Cities challenge (Big Ideas, Bright Cities) 2023 are visited to be congratulated by Caroline Macaulay from GBC-Education/Theirworld and Ara Anoshiravani, Education and Workforce Development Leader, Deloitte.

Join Us

Are you a representative of a U.S. registered 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization interested in participating in the Youth Skills and Employment Accelerator program? You can apply now to be considered for the next cohort.

Apply now

Our progress

Pre-2021

Skills Commission and Community Engagement

Youth Skills Commission, supported by Intel and Deloitte, launches “Preparing Tomorrow’s Workforce for the Fourth Industrial Revolution: A Framework for Business Action.”

Working with Deloitte Monitor Group, a series of focus groups and interviews across the nation to help to shape a new U.S. youth skills program model.

2022

Scaling up Promising Innovations

Action Greensboro (Greensboro, SC), Sidekick Education (Madison, WI), and Orlando Community Youth Trust (Orlando, FL) are awarded grants as the winners and runners-ups of the challenge. The first Youth Skills and Employment Accelerator program convenes exceptional organizations from 12 U.S. states.

2023

Accelerator Round Two & Engaging Employee Volunteers

The Southern California College Attainment Network (SoCal CAN) was declared the winner of the second challenge, joining 14 other nonprofits in the second cohort of the Accelerator program. Partners convened for a roundtable discussion entitled Bridging the Gap Together: Empowering Youth for Future Workforce Success in New York. Deloitte’s StepUP skills-based volunteering program teams worked on several pro-bono projects with Accelerator organizations.

2024

Harnessing AI and Growing Interest

More than 700 organizations apply to participate in the Accelerator program. Corporate partners visit winning nonprofit organizations across the country. Partners convene for an event focused on Harnessing AI for Skill Development, with interactive AI demos by Dell Technologies to help young people interview for jobs. Professional support provided to the cohort members and alumni to develop join program proposals and engage in corporate volunteer activities, such as Deloitte Impact Day.

2025

Accelerator Cohort Three and New Partners

Stellantis joins as the newest supporter of the Youth Skills and Employment Accelerator program. A new cohort is announced, reaching a total of 43 participating organizations in the U.S. and a footprint of 250,000 young people. The Accelerator grows to include new workshop topics and expert speakers, stipends to attend industry events, and funding pitch training.