National service helps young people develop into leaders, problem solvers, and more active citizens. Study after study has shown that service years build civic skills and inspire lifelong civic participation, and increasingly demonstrate connections to the development of work-ready skills.

Through generous support from the Lumina Foundation we are positioning service years as a form of civic apprenticeships. The program aims to elevate a service year as a skill-building experience that better prepares young people for the 21st century workplace, as well as identify transferable best practices from from the field where service year corps members are receiving credentials, certifications, trainings, and access to industry specific employment pathways.

Additionally, the program is undertaking a thorough state and federal policy scan, hoping to identify potential opportunities for unlocking additional funding to grow the availability of service positions.

This work could result in thousands of young Americans being connected to market-recognized credentials that can aid their economic mobility.