BridgeYear

BridgeYear is a nonprofit that connects underserved students to careers and educational opportunities.

To do this, we offer our Career Test Drive® Fair experience and personal advising to provide opportunities towards economic stability and independence. BridgeYear connects underserved students to careers and educational opportunities through two key opportunities: our Career Test Drive® experience and one-on-one postsecondary advising. Through our Career Test Drive® Program, we expose youth to career pathways that require less than a 4-year degree through interactive, hands-on simulations. We then help students pursue these careers through personalized one-on-one Advising to provide youth the support they need to follow through on their career pursuits.

10/14/2026

BridgeYear is proud to be named a 2026–27 Houston Methodist Nonmedical Drivers of Health Grant Program recipient! 💙

This support helps strengthen our work connecting Houston-area youth to healthcare career pathways that can lead to greater economic mobility and long-term stability. By expanding access to meaningful career opportunities, we're helping young people build a foundation for stronger futures and healthier communities.

Thank you, Houston Methodist, for investing in organizations working to expand opportunities and improve the well-being of Houston families.
We're grateful to be among this year's grant recipients and look forward to continuing this important work alongside our community partners.

10/13/2026

The U.S. could face a 4.6 million-worker shortfall by 2032, according to The Hechinger Report. Pointing out where the labor shortages are isn’t enough, though. If we want young people to fill those roles, they need a clear, realistic way to discover them, train for them, and actually land the job.

That bridge is exactly what we’re building in Greater Houston. It starts with BridgeYear’s Career Test Drive® Program, where middle and high school students explore in-demand technical fields through hands-on simulations. But career exploration is only the beginning. Through our Career Cohorts, BridgeYear stays with graduating seniors as they take their next steps by providing soft skills coaching, wraparound support, and direct connections to local employers.

By connecting career exploration with preparation and access to employers, BridgeYear helps young people move from “What’s out there for me?” to “I know my path and how to start.” At the same time, Houston employers gain stronger connections to the homegrown talent that can help meet our region’s future workforce needs.

10/12/2026

Want to see career exploration in action? 👀

Join us for BridgeYear’s next Visitor Day on Thursday, October 22, from 9:00–10:00 AM at YES Prep Fifth Ward Secondary!

During this one-hour experience, you’ll step right onto the floor of our Career Test Drive® Fair to see Houston students test-drive high-growth, in-demand careers through interactive simulations.

What you’ll get to experience:
🔹 Watch students explore real-world tasks in high-paying industries
🔹 See how early career exposure helps youth find their fit beyond a traditional 4-year degree
🔹 Connect directly with BridgeYear leadership and the team behind our programming

Whether you’re a community partner, educator, or supporter, come see how we’re helping Houston students feel confident and informed about their futures!

Register here: https://www.tfaforms.com/5104812

10/09/2026

We are truly blown away by the incredible generosity of the Latin Women’s Initiative! 💙

Following their record-breaking fashion show last May, BridgeYear was honored at their Annual Membership Luncheon with a $50,000 award to support our Career Cohort program, helping young people access career training, build skills, and take meaningful steps toward employment.

We are so grateful for the Latin Women’s Initiative’s investment in Houston’s young people and their futures. Thank you for believing in what’s possible! 🎉

10/08/2026

This week, we celebrated five students in BridgeYear’s Surgical Processing Technician cohort for their progress and commitment as they gain hands-on experience at Houston Methodist Sugar Land while continuing their education at Houston City College’s Coleman College for Health Sciences! 🎉

This opportunity grew out of a real workforce need. When local healthcare systems shared their need for qualified, reliable sterile processing talent, BridgeYear developed a direct pathway connecting young people to those opportunities.

Before receiving their job offers, our team helped students strengthen their resumes, practice mock interviews, and learn how to confidently communicate their skills, preparing them to navigate a competitive hiring process.

Today, these five students are earning a paycheck at Houston Methodist while working toward their technical credentials at HCC. And their journey doesn't end with getting hired!

BridgeYear will continue supporting each student throughout their first year of employment, providing coaching and guidance to help them balance work and school, navigate challenges, and stay on track toward their career goals.

We're proud to work alongside Houston Methodist and Houston City College to create opportunities that help young people build their futures while meeting the needs of Houston's healthcare workforce. 💙

Please join us in celebrating these five students and their hard work!

10/07/2026

We’re proud to partner with Ready Set Next in the integration of BridgeYear’s MorePathways® for its non-four-year vetted training opportunities! 🚀

As a Founding Pilot Partner, BridgeYear is bringing MorePathways® into this regional effort. MorePathways® was built to make it easier for Houstonians to find vetted and trusted local training opportunities that can lead to economically mobile careers.

Through Ready Set Next, that knowledge becomes part of a broader AI-powered experience where Houstonians can explore careers, education and training, employers, work-based learning, and community resources all in one place, allowing the work behind MorePathways® to reach even more Houstonians while strengthening access to trusted information about non-four-year training options across our region.

Together with the Greater Houston Partnership and Pathful, we’re creating more ways for Houstonians to discover what’s possible and take their next step toward a career.

Learn more at readysetnext.com

10/06/2026

What does it really mean to prepare every student for a future of opportunity?

At Teach For America's 35th Anniversary Summit, BridgeYear Executive Director & Co-Founder Victoria Chen brought that question to a national stage during her TFA Talk, What “College For All” Got Wrong.

Victoria reflected on how “College For All” grew from a powerful belief that a student's zip code shouldn't determine their future. But when a four-year degree becomes the default measure of success, we risk overlooking the many ways education, career choice, and economic mobility can connect.

For some students, a four-year degree is the right path. For others, it may be an associate degree, workforce certification, apprenticeship, or another career-connected pathway. Our role isn't to value one pathway over another. It's to equip young people to evaluate their options and make informed decisions about their futures.

That perspective is central to BridgeYear's work with Houston-area youth. BridgeYear turns career exploration into informed action, connecting students to education, training, and career pathways that can lead to high-demand careers, long-term success, and economic mobility.

Preparing young people for the future starts with making sure they understand the full range of opportunities available to them. 💙

09/30/2026

What if students could explore a career before having to choose one?

Research from American Student Assistance (ASA) and Jobs for the Future (JFF) found that 71% of Gen Z youth want more opportunities to explore career options while in high school.
BridgeYear’s Career Test Drive® Program helps turn that interest into hands-on exploration. Each experience is developed alongside industry subject-matter experts (SMEs) to reflect authentic workplace scenarios, skills, and expectations, giving students a closer look at high-growth careers that offer livable wages and that they may not have considered before.

For schools, it’s an opportunity to bring career exploration directly to students and help them make more informed decisions about what comes after high school.

Interested in bringing a Career Test Drive® Fair to your campus? Learn more at bridgeyear.org/schools/ctd.

09/29/2026

The transition from training to employment shouldn’t be left to chance.

Young people can leave a training program with new technical skills and an industry-recognized credential, but navigating interviews, building professional connections, and taking that next step into the workforce requires preparation too.

Through BridgeYear’s Career Cohorts, those pieces are part of the experience. Students receive career-readiness training, practice real-world interviews with corporate professionals, build their networks, and stay connected to BridgeYear Advisors who provide personalized support throughout their journey.

A recent Work Shift article explores a similar idea: when employers and employment opportunities are more intentionally connected to training, the pathway into the workforce becomes clearer.

For BridgeYear, that means helping young people prepare not only to complete training, but to use it as a launching point for what comes next.

09/25/2026

A strong career pathway gives young people more than a way into the workforce. It gives them room to keep building. 🚗

That message came through at this week’s Automotive Apprenticeship Celebration, where Mike Brennan, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President at Gulf States Toyota and BridgeYear Board Member, reflected on the career growth available within the automotive industry.

For 11 BridgeYear students, that growth now begins through two-year paid apprenticeships at local Toyota dealerships while they continue their education at Houston City College. The apprenticeship pathway, developed by BridgeYear, Gulf States Toyota, and The Friedkin Group, gives students an opportunity to build technical skills and real-world experience at the same time.

As their careers progress, apprentices can pursue nationally recognized ASE certifications, develop expertise in high-demand areas like diagnostics and advanced vehicle technology, and grow toward master technician, leadership, and other roles across the industry.

Thank you to Mike for continuing to champion opportunities that help young people enter the workforce with a pathway for continued growth. 💙

Address

3414 Eastside Street
Houston, TX
77098

Website

http://bridgeyear.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when BridgeYear posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to BridgeYear:

Want your organization to be the top-listed non profit organization in Houston?