YouthForce NOLA

Name

YouthForce NOLA

Legal name

YouthForce NOLA

Website

https://youthforcenola.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Workforce Development

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Youth-to-Adult Bridge & College Readiness (Noncredit) (EDAAAEAK)

Keywords

• Youth workforce development
• Career-connected learning
• High school internships
• Soft skills training
• Apprenticeship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations and Sponsorships: The organization accepts individual donations at various levels ($25 to $100,000+) and corporate sponsorships for programs like Career Expo and the Future Ready Fund which funds internship stipends and supplies.
2. Government Grants and Contracts: Major federal grants including $4 million USDOL Apprenticeship Building America grant for NOLA LEADS collaboration. State funding includes $2 million Louisiana legislature allocation for apprenticeships and internships. City funding includes $1.25 million from City of New Orleans for career-connected learning expansion. Additional federal funding through Carl D. Perkins CTE, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, and U.S. Department of Education.
3. Foundation and Philanthropic Grants: Support from major foundations including Bloomberg Philanthropies, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and others. Multi-year pledges from Baptist Community Ministries, RosaMary Foundation, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

YouthForce NOLA is a nonprofit intermediary that prepares New Orleans public high school students for college and career success by coordinating paid summer internships, career exposure events, soft skills training, industry credentials, and apprenticeship pathways. It operates as the connective tissue between 100% of local public high schools, 250+ employer partners, four training providers, and public/private funders, and extends its model to other communities through the Solutions Lab.

Product overview

YouthForce NOLA is a nonprofit intermediary organization that operates as the engine for career-connected learning in New Orleans public schools. Its portfolio consists of several interconnected programs: the YouthForce NOLA Internship, which provides paid summer work experience for rising high school seniors with 250+ local employer partners; the annual Career Expo connecting 2,000+ freshmen to career pathways; a Soft Skills Training and educator coaching program integrated into classrooms; the Solutions Lab, which commercializes YouthForce's curriculum and coaching expertise to other organizations nationally; and NOLA LEADS, a federally funded apprenticeship expansion initiative. These programs are coordinated through a network of training providers (New Orleans Career Center, NOVAC, GEMS, Operation Spark), public schools, and employer partners, all supported by the Future Ready Fund for philanthropy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• YouthForce NOLA Internship A paid summer internship program for rising high school seniors in New Orleans, providing soft skills training, workplace readiness preparation, and placement with 250+ local employer partners across industries including Business Services, Digital Media/IT, Health Sciences, and Skilled Crafts. Students and their families receive free participation.
• Career Expo An annual career exposure event gathering 2,000+ public high school freshmen to explore career pathways in four industry clusters: Business Services, Digital Media/IT, Health Sciences, and Skilled Crafts, connecting students with 70+ regional businesses and training providers.
• Solutions Lab A consulting and curriculum arm providing cost-effective trainings, coaching, and resources to help organizations across states design, launch, grow, and strengthen youth internship programs and soft skills programming. Services include internship curriculum, supervisor playbooks, soft skills empowerment workshops, and Louisiana work-based learning instructor training.
• Soft Skills Training A structured soft skills curriculum and educator coaching program that integrates skills such as communication, collaboration, problem-solving, personal mindset, social awareness, and planning for success into classrooms and internship programming for New Orleans public high school students.
• Educator Programming Professional development program for school leaders and teachers including Soft Skills 360 (3-year capacity building), Educator Capacity Building, funding navigation support, and soft skills empowerment workshops. Coordinates with Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans to deliver career exposure opportunities to students.
• NOLA LEADS A career-connected learning collaborative powered by YouthForce NOLA that creates pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship opportunities across construction, IT, and healthcare industries. Funded by a $4 million U.S. Department of Labor Apprenticeship Building America grant to reach nearly 1,700 participants and create nearly 500 apprenticeships in Greater New Orleans.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% of YouthForce NOLA alumni continue to college or a career
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NOLA LEADS CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024NOLA LEADS (New Orleans Leading in Education in Apprenticeship Development and Skills) is a career-connected learning collaborative powered by YouthForce NOLA, awarded $4 million USDOL Apprenticeship Building America grant. Partners include: Allocation for Media Arts & Culture, Boh Bros, City of New Orleans Office of Workforce Development, Delgado Community College, Entergy, Gallo, GNO Inc., Greater New Orleans Foundation, Gusto Moving Pictures, Koniag Government Services, LCMC Health, Louisiana Restaurant Association, Louisiana Workforce Commission, New Orleans Career Center, New Orleans Public Schools, New Orleans Workforce Development Board, Next Level NOLA, NOVAC, Ochsner Health, Operation Spark, RNGD, Southeast LA Construction Building Trades & Council, and YouthForce NOLA.
• New Orleans Career Center (NOCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity's hub for high-quality technical education and training. Programs in Building Trades, Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management, Digital Media, Engineering, and Healthcare. YouthForce NOLA provides $1.2M+ in grants and has championed its founding.
• Operation SparkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoftware training center providing opportunities for upward mobility through skills training and job placement in software engineering. One of four training providers YouthForce NOLA supports.
• NOVAC (New Orleans Video Access Center)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides digital media education, training, resources through engaging coursework. Empowers storytellers and communities with education in film, TV, and digital media.
• GEMS (Gateway EMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOffers training and coursework to high school students interested in emergency medical responder and emergency medical technician career pathways.
• Ochsner HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor healthcare employer partner providing internships and clinical exposure opportunities for students interested in health sciences careers.
• LCMC HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare system partner hosting YouthForce NOLA interns including alumni like Alice Lazo at multiple facilities.
• Landis Construction Co.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen-owned construction company committed to workforce diversity. Hosted YouthForce NOLA interns including Treyvon Moliere and Tionne Rushing. CEO Anne Teague Landis has praised the internship program.
• Boh Bros ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConstruction company partner in YouthForce NOLA network providing internship opportunities for students interested in skilled crafts careers.
• Delgado Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege partner offering dual enrollment opportunities for high school students to earn college course credit. Collaborates with training providers for career pathway programs.
• Nunez Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity college partner providing dual enrollment opportunities for high school students to earn college credits in career pathways.
• Tulane School of Professional AdvancementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner offering dual enrollment opportunities for high school students to earn college credits through YouthForce NOLA network.
• University of New OrleanscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner providing dual enrollment opportunities and college credits for YouthForce NOLA students including alumni Alice Lazo.
• Junior Achievement of Greater New OrleanscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Future Connect program providing 8,626 student interactions including Career Expo, career panels, workplace visits, and guest speakers from in-demand industries.
• Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC)coreTechnology or IntegrationProvided guidance to enhance YouthForce NOLA's ability to collect, analyze, and share labor market information (LMI) for data-driven workforce development solutions.
• unCommon ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouthForce NOLA provides funding for on-the-job training and soft skills learning for high school students in skilled crafts through this partner.
• San Joaquin A+minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalifornia-based intermediary receiving support from YouthForce NOLA's Solutions Lab to develop high school and college internship programs.
• City of Alexandria, VAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner receiving support from Solutions Lab for career-connected learning programming.
• Accelerate EDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured YouthForce NOLA in paper 'Trust, Strategy, and Creativity: Breaking Through Data Barriers in Pathway Design' profiling work of five regions surmounting data sharing challenges.
• College in High School AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured YouthForce NOLA's holistic approach in paper on expanding college and career readiness initiatives in urban education systems.

Scale indicators29 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Bottom Line: Nonprofit focused on college access and degree completion for first-generation students from low-income backgrounds. Operates an adjacent model targeting similar student demographics with career counseling and employer connections, though its primary focus is college completion rather than high school career launch.

Broad incumbents

• KIPP Foundation: National charter school network with deep presence in New Orleans serving the same student demographic as YouthForce NOLA. KIPP schools are key partners in YouthForce NOLA's network and represent a broad incumbent in the same K-12 education ecosystem with overlapping workforce development goals.
• Jobs for the Future (JFF): National nonprofit driving transformation in the American workforce and education systems, with a much broader scope including policy, research, and direct programs. JFF influences the same policy environment as YouthForce NOLA and operates multiple youth-focused initiatives, but at a national scale with policy and grant-making reach.

Direct peers

• NAF (National Academy Foundation): National nonprofit that creates career academies within high schools, delivering career-connected learning through employer partnerships and work-based learning. NAF is one of the closest high school-focused workforce intermediaries to YouthForce NOLA, with similar industry-themed pathways and employer engagement model.
• Big Picture Learning: National nonprofit network of schools that centers learning through real-world internship experiences and personal interests. Operates a comparable career-connected learning model integrated into high school education, with employer mentorship as a core component of the student experience.
• Skills for Chicagoland's Future: Chicago-based workforce intermediary that connects employers with motivated job seekers, including young adults. Operates a similar demand-driven intermediary model with employer partnerships, training coordination, and outcomes-based placement, mirroring YouthForce NOLA's role as a labor market connector.
• Per Scholas: National nonprofit providing free technology training and career support to adults from under-resourced communities. While primarily focused on older learners, it shares the workforce intermediary model with employer partnerships, tuition-free training, and outcomes-based job placement aligned to high-demand industries.
• Genesys Works: National nonprofit providing high school students from under-resourced communities with skills training, professional mentoring, and paid corporate internships. Operates a similar intermediary model in multiple cities, with comparable employer-network-driven internship placement.
• Year Up: National workforce development nonprofit serving young adults with training, internships, and career placement. Year Up operates a comparable intermediary model connecting employers with talent from under-resourced communities, although it focuses on older youth (18-24) versus YouthForce NOLA's high school focus.

Regional players

• San Joaquin A+: California-based intermediary that partners with YouthForce NOLA's Solutions Lab to develop high school and college internship programs. Represents the type of regional replication partner that validates the Solutions Lab's model in a distinct geography.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUQnHUH1ebRo_JP4xjbGZ1A
• Facebookfacebook.com/youthforcenola
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youthforce-nola
• Instagraminstagram.com/youthforcenola
• Xx.com/YouthForceNOLA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about YouthForce NOLA