Building off the 24 Years of Success Upper Pathways & the YEAH Program
Yeah now known as BOOST (https://haas.berkeley.edu/boost)
Social Development with UP^
Upper Pathways (UP^) established in 1995 by Rosie McCorkle and her son our CEO James McCorkle and the YEAH Program in 1996 by James McCorkle while attending UC Berkeley Haas School of business
Rosie McCorkle founded UP^ to create a platform for those less fortunate to find their passions, get motivated, and improve their chances of accomplishing their dreams to climb higher economically. The UP^ program is a 501-3c non-profit which delivers a comprehensive solution to address economic success for our students and municipalities using the following actions:
- Localize – identify and address local needs
- Recruit Assets – bring in businesses to meet those in need, and
- Teach – train local communities to become successful in these new and increasingly technical businesses.Our mission is to make a positive change in our students’ futures and providing customers with sustainable economic & workforce solutions.
For growth we must understand “The Problem”
The decline of the economy has devastated many local economies.
- Chronic unemployment creates family, social, substance abuse and safety issues. People lose hope.
- Businesses have no incentive to build or relocate to that area.
- Children have few and see no local career opportunities.
- Bring in initially simple, but increasingly technical industries with
- Simultaneously build an increasingly educated, trained and skilled
The YEAH Solution which is the professional side of UP^ for since 1996
Our Mission is to enable communities to become economically self-sufficient by simultaneously developing new businesses while training local resources to support those specific areas of growth. It is better to teach one to fish than to just give one fish. Communities, adults, youth and children are all intrinsically linked to each other for our communities to thrive and survive. To this end UP^ aims to be a platform driven by innovation in education to keep our students abreast of the global world around us all which is ever-evolving so that our education is one of proactive exploration and not stuck in steep traditions which in some cases are not effective.
UP^ partners with Schools, LGUs and NGOs to create jobs
With our Anchor Partner Aptech leading the way, Upper Pathways is creating an economic ecosystem that promotes transparent community development and inclusion for corporations, municipalities, and Tribal Nations based on the betterment of our future generations (American Indians’ Seven Generations philosophy). Our goals are to reach out to those seeking higher skills and opportunities in sustainable jobs because we know that poverty is not an option. Aptech established a relationship with UP^ to assist in its mission to build a workforce for its international expansion that is as diverse as the global market. By working with urban and rural communities, UP^ plans to establish a “Best in Class” education and job skills program.