Urban Alliance is building a diverse next-generation workforce by offering young people of color a high school internship program across five regions—Baltimore, Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Northern Virginia; and Washington, DC. The program provides young people with intensive supports to aid their post–high school transition to education and employment, incorporating paid, professional internships with local job partners, mentorship from an adult professional, coaching from trained program staff, college and career skills training, and support for alumni who complete the program.

Since 2006, the Urban Institute has engaged Urban Alliance in technical assistance and performance measurement and has conducted two rigorous randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluations of its internship program.

Four-Site Replication RCT
Evaluation of the Urban Alliance High School Internship Program (interim impact study)
Employers, Young People, and Training and Support: Implementation Study of the Urban Alliance High School Internship Program (baseline implementation study)
What Elements of Employment and Training Programs Set Young People Up for Success? (blog post)

Two-Site RCT
Preparing Youth for College and Career: A Process Evaluation of Urban Alliance (baseline implementation study)
How Can We Better Connect Youth to Work and School? Five Lessons for Youth Employment Programs (blog post)
A Promising Solution for the Prolonged Youth Employment Crisis (blog post)
Embarking on College and Career: Interim Evaluation of Urban Alliance (interim impact study)
Urban Alliance Internship Program Improves Job Skills and College Attendance for Disadvantaged Youth (blog)
Mentoring May Help Young Men of Color Achieve Academic Success (blog post)
Pathways after High School: Evaluation of the Urban Alliance High School Internship Program (final impact study)
Improving College and Career Readiness for Boys and Young Men of Color (blog post)

Technical Assistance and Performance Measurement
Applying Behavioral Science to Nonprofit Program Delivery: Testing a Behavioral Insights Implementation Process with Urban Alliance (report)
Behavioral Science Can Help Nonprofits Boost Their Impact (blog post)
Evaluation Matters: Lessons from Youth-Serving Organizations (report)