What Step-Up Omaha does

Step-Up Omaha is a nonprofit youth employment program founded in 2008 and headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, operating as an initiative under the Empowerment Network. The organization targets young people ages 14–21, connecting them with local employers for summer employment, job training, and entrepreneurship opportunities. Its core offerings include a Summer Job Training Program for applicants, a Summer Workforce Development service for employers seeking low-cost seasonal staffing, a Career and Life Skills Coaching component supported by trained volunteer coaches, the Urban Pipeline sub-program targeting urban workforce talent, and the Intern Hub providing year-round support to program alumni.

The business model is that of a community-led workforce development nonprofit. Services are provided at no direct cost to youth participants and at low cost to participating employers; specific revenue mechanics, grants, or donation flows are not disclosed. Go-to-market relies on direct community outreach, a WordPress-based website serving as the application and information hub, phone and email contact, and cross-promotion through the parent Empowerment Network. The program is regionally bounded to the Omaha metropolitan area with no disclosed geographic expansion or external funding rounds. Customer segments span three audiences — job-seeking youth (primary), local employers (primary), and volunteer career/life skills coaches (secondary) — with no disclosed enterprise anchor customers, headcount figures, or proprietary technology platform beyond a standard content website.

Name

Step-Up Omaha

Legal name

Step-Up Omaha

Website

https://StepUpOmaha.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Step-Up Omaha is a nonprofit workforce development program, operating under the Empowerment Network since 2008, that provides summer job training, employment placement, and life skills coaching for youth ages 14–21 and seasonal staffing support to employers in the Omaha, Nebraska metropolitan area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Workforce Development

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Transition Programs (Reentry, Workforce Readiness & Life Skills for At-Risk Youth) (EDAJAEAF), First-Year Experience & Transition Programs (EDALABAE)

Keywords

• Youth employment
• Workforce development
• Summer internships
• Job training
• Career coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Omaha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Workforce Development Program Funding: As a nonprofit initiative under the Empowerment Network, Step-Up Omaha operates as a workforce development program. The specific revenue model and funding sources are not explicitly disclosed in the available source material. The program provides job training and employment services at no cost to participants while offering employers a low-cost pathway to summer workforce.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Step-Up Omaha is a youth workforce development initiative that connects career-eager students (ages 14-21) with local Omaha employers for summer employment and job training. The program provides career and life skills coaching support and operates as an umbrella under the Empowerment Network nonprofit. It serves both individual youth job seekers and local businesses seeking seasonal workforce talent.

Product overview

Step-Up Omaha is a workforce development initiative that operates as a unified program combining multiple interconnected services. The core offering consists of a Summer Job Training Program connecting students with employers, supported by a Career and Life Skills Coaching service. The Urban Pipeline sub-product extends the program by focusing on urban talent development. The Intern Hub provides ongoing support resources for participants. Together, these products create an employment pathway from training through placement to continued career development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer Job Training Program A summer employment and job training program that connects career-eager students ages 14-21 with local Omaha employers, providing valuable work experience to help participants develop their careers.
• Summer Workforce Development for Employers A program enabling Omaha-area employers to increase their summer workforce at low cost while developing local talent, connecting businesses with motivated student workers who receive coaching support.
• Career and Life Skills Coaching A mentorship service where trained coaches provide guidance to career-eager students, supporting their professional development and life skills throughout the summer employment program.
• Urban Pipeline A pathway initiative within the Step-Up Omaha program focused on developing urban workforce talent and creating employment opportunities in the Omaha community.
• Intern Hub A resource portal for Step-Up interns providing access to coaches, contact information, and year-round support services for program participants.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Empowerment NetworkcoreOthersStep-Up Omaha is explicitly identified as 'an Empowerment Network initiative.' The Empowerment Network serves as the parent organizational umbrella, providing strategic direction, infrastructure, and likely funding support for the Step-Up Omaha workforce development program.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Genesys Works: Genesys Works provides high school youth from under-resourced communities with skills training, paid corporate internships, and college/career support. It mirrors Step-Up Omaha's model of pairing youth with employer internships, including the embedded coaching support element.
• Bottom Line: Bottom Line is a nonprofit that supports first-generation college students from under-resourced communities with career advising, internship placement, and job-readiness coaching. It overlaps with Step-Up Omaha's coach-supported, employer-connected career pathways for young people.
• Per Scholas: Per Scholas is a national nonprofit that delivers tuition-free tech and professional skills training paired with employer placement services. It shares Step-Up Omaha's nonprofit, employer-driven, training-to-placement model, though focused on tech rather than summer youth employment.
• i.c.stars: i.c.stars is a workforce development nonprofit that trains young adults from under-resourced communities in technology and leadership through project-based learning and employer engagement. Its training-plus-coaching-plus-placement model is structurally similar to Step-Up Omaha's three-sided approach.
• Year Up: Year Up is a national workforce development nonprofit that provides young adults (18-24) with job training, internships, and corporate placement — directly comparable to Step-Up Omaha's youth-focused training-plus-placement model, but at a much larger national scale.
• NPower: NPower provides free IT and professional skills training plus job placement for young adults and military veterans. It is comparable to Step-Up Omaha as a nonprofit workforce development program pairing tuition-free training with employer connections for under-reserved populations.

Regional players

• One Summer Chicago: One Summer Chicago is a city-run youth summer employment initiative providing paid summer jobs and career exposure to Chicago youth. It is comparable as a geographically-concentrated, community-led summer youth employment program, but anchored in a different metro than Step-Up Omaha.
• Workforce Solutions of the Heartland (Greater Omaha Chamber): Workforce Solutions of the Heartland is the regional workforce development board serving the Omaha metro, addressing employer hiring and job-seeker training needs. It is comparable to Step-Up Omaha as a local/regional workforce intermediary, but with broader adult-focused scope rather than youth specialization.
• Boston Youth Summer Jobs Program: Boston's Youth Summer Jobs Program connects city youth with summer employment and career exploration opportunities. It is a peer in function — a regional, public/community-led summer youth employment program — though operating in a different metro with public funding rather than nonprofit parent sponsorship.

Emerging players

• Opportunity@Work: Opportunity@Work is a national nonprofit focused on expanding access to middle-skill careers for workers without four-year degrees. It is thematically adjacent to Step-Up Omaha as a nonprofit addressing employment barriers for under-resourced populations, but operates at a systems/policy level rather than direct youth placement.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/StepUpOmaha
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/step-up-omaha

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Step-Up Omaha