As the IT world around our students was quickly moving, next was the highlight of the day, NB’s data center tour in Piscataway, NJ where multimillion dollar daily global transactions happen in real time through a super secure network matrix protecting accounts on and off shore. Per Scholas was greeted by multiple managers and VPs — as well as a Per Scholas alumna. Servon Lewis who was hired after Per Scholas through the company’s competitive internship and kept on full-time. Neuberger Berman created the internship exclusively available to Per Scholas graduates three years ago as part of its growing corporate partnership with Per Scholas. It’s produced numerous success stories, including Servon’s who will be speaking at the June 12 ROI Corporate Dinner.

After students heard from Servon and team, the students were given a rare peek, especially during a trading day, of the company’s 7500 Sq. Ft. data center space. Students learned how the center is powered, walked through a hot swap technical repair, and toured the live server rooms with the very individuals who created the infrastructure. Students were given something they will never forget and exposure that can’t be taught in a classroom. On the way back to the city, the energy of new found motivation and determination to have a successful IT career like the ones witnessed at Neuberger Berman was apparent in every student.

We gratefully thank Marci, Liz, Tony, Michael and Joe from Neuberger Berman for their continued support in helping our students succeed and dream for bigger and better careers in an ever-changing and growing IT industry.

The post Corporate Partner Spotlight: Neuberger Berman appeared first on Per Scholas.

“The very woman who loves Saks Avenue and six-inch heels is quite capable of climbing ladders and using screwdrivers, with more creativity. I endeavor to overcome historical barriers–one stiletto at a time.”

Olympia loves the challenge of being a woman in technology, a field where only 25% of the workforce is female. “I feel my male counterparts may look at me and think I have a limit to what I can do, and that only motivates me to work three times harder to knock down these stereotypes and barriers facing women in this industry.”

Olympia is from Guyana, a country where computers are sparse — only one in 50 people had access when she lived there. She credits her grandmother for introducing her to technology when she sent Olympia to a typing class in her town. “Seeing a room full of computers was like the equivalent of seeing a brand new Corvette. I couldn’t wait to touch it.” This exposure had a permanent impact and the rest was history.

In her teens, her family moved to New York City where she completed her education in technology. She helped out a great deal with her church setting up computers, the networks, and even a website. Her new life motto became “Jesus and mother boards.” Despite these accomplishments, however, she still felt stuck, unfulfilled both professionally and intellectually. Then she found Per Scholas.

Enrolling primarily for the professional certifications offered (the CompTIA A+ and MCTS), Olympia couldn’t believe the level of education offered from a free program. “Per Scholas was the most amazing professional experience of my life. I was exposed to every aspect of IT, from cloud computing and peripheral connectivity to manipulating software and network devices,” adding that the hands-on experience surpassed what her bachelor’s degree in IT offered. “The experience stimulated my desire to further my IT knowledge and advance my skill set, which is irreplaceable.” Then there was the layer of being in a women’s only class, an environment vastly unrealistic compared to the IT industry as she had experienced it. “My most memorable experiences were our morning Tech Talks, where we talk about current industry trends whether it be Google or Intel at the start of class. Most of my classmates were new to IT and new to this type of social engagement, but eventually Tech Talks turned into the part of class we all eagerly awaited. It was our daily dose of caffeine.”

It is extra exciting that Olympia landed at PIMCO. The company has been an active corporate partner in volunteer engagements and generous funding, believers in our mission and students. They are thrilled to have her join the firm.

Olympia will pay this investment forward and looks forward to volunteering her time to share her story with other women and inspire them to follow her lead. “It is okay to be a minority of numbers, not qualifications. I allow my faith, my skills, values, character, and qualifications to define my path.”

We can’t wait to watch others follow Olympia’s path.

The post Olympia LaRose | Student of the Month appeared first on Per Scholas.

So, he came on site and talked software testing to two dozen soon-to-graduate students. Here are some key (no nonsense) takeaways:

• Software testing is the biggest growth segment in IT. The jobs are expected to double over the next two years.
• Companies have lots of legacy systems and are increasingly complex. This means job insurance for skilled testers.
• Software testing has had a low barrier to entry, but to be skilled, you need a brain that thinks critically.
• Learn to learn. People will ignore you if you are not relevant. You must self educate — always.
• To be a good tester, be curious. Ask questions, ask “Why?” (a lot). Don’t just execute steps and walk through the motions. Really try to find the problems and ask why something may not work.
• “Culture eats strategy for lunch.”
• You will want to change the world in a new job (everyone thinks this) but you need to realize and recognize that status quo is hard to change. Not impossible, just hard. Manage your expectations.
• Don’t accept mediocrity

There is also a major commitment made by the Association for Software Testers (AST), of which Keith Klain is a board member, to share curriculum to grow the talent and pipeline of workers in this field. Over the next several months we will be exploring curriculum development for Per Scholas students and alumni in software testing as well as creating a job placement track for testers.

We are hugely appreciative of Keith spending time with us and being so passionate and realistic about the possibilities this holds for Per Scholas. This is why Joe Squeri and Barclays are being honored at this year’s ROI Corporate Dinner. When they make a commitment to invest in their community — they mean it.

The post Software Testing & Career Advice by Keith Klain, Barclays appeared first on Per Scholas.

“We operate in an environment of perpetual and constant change”.

As a leader in an organization, one can take this as a compliment or an insult. I for one fall squarely into the camp that this is not only a compliment but a necessity if we are interested in innovating and pushing ourselves and our organizations to perform at our highest levels.

I have been in the role of Executive Director at Per Scholas for going on 6 weeks and I have been completely impressed with the dedication, commitment, tenure of many in the team at both a management and staff level. We have a strong appetite to innovate, to pilot, to partner with like-minded organizations, and to mesh social justice and policy issues with smart operational management.

If we are doing our jobs right, and I think we have been, this means we also will fail at some things. We have our share of problems here and we encourage staff to “fall in love with our problems.” This means being brutally honest about what works and doesn’t and shining a huge spotlight on areas that can be improved.

While most of us (myself included) operate with a “failure is not an option” mindset in the big picture, at the micro level I actually think we need to accept small failures every day in order to improve, learn, and grow. And I was encouraged to be more open and broadcast this kind of dialogue by Beth Kanter’s recent post challenging nonprofits to do small experiments around ideas that just might fail. We missed the “deadline” for that specific challenge, but we are all for embracing past and inevitable future failures.

A recent small failure of ours was not hitting a recruitment goal by the media buys we spent a LOT of money on (though we worked with community organizations to make up the difference).

Lesson learned: Use data to better track marketing efforts and outcomes and adjust the approach accordingly.

Or failing to secure internship experiences for candidates because we focus on full time placements (the main outcomes our funders care about). The irony is that focusing on internships might in fact make full time job placements easier.

Lesson learned: Think strategically about effort involved in achieving a goal and assess if there are different paths to get to the same end state.

Bottom line: Expecting failure and being relentless about assessing and analyzing how to perform smarter, better, and more effectively is a mindset that should be in the DNA of any healthy organization and a strong management team. Expect failure, embrace it and just make sure we learn from it. Being a cheerleader for staff is not about pretending everything is great, it is about celebrating small successes and helping people recognize, learn from and move on from small failures.

The post Embracing Failure, Falling in Love with Problems appeared first on Per Scholas.

Welcome Angela Thompson who joins our team as the primary Workforce Development Specialist in Columbus. She brings with her a dedicated career in Workforce Development priding herself on being a catalyst for uniting employers with qualified job seekers to promote economic development in Central Ohio. Prior to joining Per Scholas, Angela worked at One Stop (locally known as COWIC) and Henkels & McCoy, a commercial engineering company. Both organizations are committed to offering professional skill and career development services to members of the community in need. Angela’s steadfast commitment to stakeholders has allowed her to establish durable, professional relationships with local employers and a variety of community service organizations. We are excited for her to bring her expertise and established relationships in the community to further the careers of our Per Scholas students.

As the Workforce Development Specialist with Per Scholas, Angela’s continuous marketing and recruiting efforts will result in a classroom filled with learners in pursuit of an industry recognized certification, and career, in technology. Additionally, Angela will be responsible for the value-added job seeking skills instruction and individualized career coaching which is offered to current students during their training as well as graduates.

The post Welcome Angela Thompson, the newest member of Per Scholas | Columbus appeared first on Per Scholas.

Across the country, it’s a busy and exciting week for Per Scholas as our national expansion plan continues to unfold. First up on the agenda for the Per Scholas National team is a visit to Columbus, where long-time Per Scholas supporters Creating IT Futures Foundation (CITFF) is convening its board and paying a visit to Per Scholas Columbus. CITFF and Team Per Scholas will also be generously hosted at Time Warner Cable, who has been a leader in our favorite kind of support:  hiring six Per Scholas Columbus grads in the last four months alone!

Later in the week, Per Scholas National will be meeting with tech community leaders at the Northern Virginia Tech Council (NVTC), to discuss making Per Scholas’ newest home in the capital region. Interested in bringing Per Scholas’ IT-Ready training to the D.C. area? Please join the conversation at the next NVTC Workforce and Education meeting this Friday, or get in touch with Miriam Ackerman to discuss ways to support our replication in D.C.

Things are just as busy and happening in our New York location with three classes spending all of Wednesday on a corporate field trip to Neuberger Berman, a committed corporate partner of the organization whose paid internship program has turned out some of the greatest alumni success stories. On Thursday, Keith Klain of Barclays will be on-site to discuss Quality Assurance testing career tracks with students in the morning and Gigi Stone, correspondent of Bloomberg TV, will meet with students in the later half of the day.

What a busy, busy week! We are excited and grateful for all the positive engagements on the calendar and extend thanks to all the supporters who make it possible.

The post Road Trippin’: National Expansion news from Columbus, Washington D.C. & New York City appeared first on Per Scholas.

Our committed partners Debevoise & Plimpton, Fox Cable Network, and Estee Lauder are observing this Earth Day by having a week-long, onsite IT recycling drive at their offices on behalf of Per Scholas. The donated equipment will either be re-furbished for use in our IT Training school or processed with our partner dataserv to be safely recycled.

Why does this matter? E-Waste (electronic waste) is super toxic. Responsible recycling aims to minimize the dangers to human health and the environment that disposed and dismantled electronics can create.

Learn more about Per Scholas Asset Recovery.

The post Happy Earth Day — Per Scholas Reduces Carbon Footprint with key Corporate Partners through E-Waste Program appeared first on Per Scholas.

Per Scholas’ annual ROI dinner celebrates our accomplishments with the corporate partners large and small who play so many key roles creating better futures for our graduates. We are thrilled to recognize the high level of impact that Joe and his colleagues have brought to Per Scholas. In a very short time, Barclays has engaged with Per Scholas in four essential areas – providing major funding, volunteers, employment opportunities and board leadership. The impact has already begun to take shape.

“Joe and Barclays have stepped up to the plate in a big way, contributing major funding and volunteers for our program along with job opportunities for our graduates,” says Plinio Ayala, Per Scholas President and CEO. “They understand effective corporate citizenship and are deeply supportive of our mission to help the New Yorkers most affected by the jobs crisis. They are making an enormous difference.”

“At Barclays, supporting our local communities is core to our culture. Per Scholas has been a great community partner for Barclays, and one with a proven track record of success for the young people in its IT job training and placement program. I am proud for Barclays to serve as a role model for other companies that are just getting to know Per Scholas, and I look forward to introducing more people to its work,” expressed Joe Squeri, Barclays.

To learn more about the Per Scholas ROI dinner and to join us in celebrating Joe Squeri and Barclays on June 12, please visit our event page.

The post Joe Squeri and Barclays to Receive Honors at 2013 ROI Corporate Dinner appeared first on Per Scholas.

Workforce development is all about connecting individuals who want good jobs with employers who want good workers. A well-designed workforce system can help small businesses find and retain a high-quality labor force, at very low cost. A poorly designed workforce system can be a costly distraction, to both small businesses and job-seekers.

As a longtime workforce practitioner, let me provide an example of how one small business was able to take advantage of the workforce system in New York City — and then suggest how that system could be re-designed to help many more small businesses create good quality jobs in this difficult economy:

When Jason Haibi from CS Technology in New York City proposed a company internship program using graduates of an IT Ready training program run by Per Scholas, he never dreamed of the impact it would have on his business. Jason wanted to expand his IT operations, but couldn’t afford the high salaries commanded by fully trained applicants. “By introducing a paid technical operations internship program, we were able to advance our corporate citizenship, while also growing our internal IT operations department from a group of three to five individuals,” Haibi said. “We achieved the additional headcount, consisting of truly skilled individuals, at nearly half the cost of traditional methods.”

The small business benefited because it connected to a workforce development program that tailors job training to fill well-paying, skilled roles that exist. The jobseekers benefited because they had average annual earnings of less than $8,000 prior to attending classes, but are now full-time employees and earning over $40,000 a year. A win-win scenario for all involved — and one that illustrates how workforce development can work well, especially for small businesses.

Elements of this story from one small business can be expanded to inform the redesign of New York City’s workforce development system. With unemployment hovering above 9 percent, the next mayor will need to deliver on the promise of job creation for all New Yorkers. Job creation is driven by both economic development (helping start new companies and expand existing businesses, both large and small), and workforce development (job training for workers as well as helping businesses access New York City’s talent pool). The city can play a central role in supporting both — creating good jobs across all five boroughs and helping businesses succeed.

The good news is that every year, foundations, unions, government agencies and nonprofits spend more than $400 million on workforce development programs in New York City. A number of programs directly help workers and businesses:

Worker-employer matching – connecting the right worker with the right employer
Employee support – helping workers keep jobs and be successful in them
Job training – teaching workers the skills they need for jobs in growth industries
Career development – providing new, on-the-job skills that benefit both workers and employers
Job redesign – rethinking how workers can become more efficient and productive

Despite these resources, businesses and job-seekers get lost in the bureaucratic shuffle, with dozens of agencies and organizations working at cross purposes. Improvements to accountability, inter-agency coordination and even data sharing are necessary changes that will benefit many more New York job-seekers and small businesses that turn to the workforce system when seeking employees.

Last year, I joined a diverse group of stakeholders with decades of experience in the city’s workforce system, supported by the New York City Workforce Funders. We strategized about how New York could do a better job of connecting individuals who want good jobs with employers who need skilled workers. Together, we developed Re-Envisioning the New York City Workforce System. Here are five of our recommendations:

1. Appoint a “job czar” reporting directly to the mayor. The job czar will oversee all workforce resources in the city, bring accountability to workforce programs and coordinate a unified system for job creation with economic development agencies and organizations.

2. Establish a network of nonprofit workforce partnerships responsible for coordinating funding streams and putting programs into practice.

3. Realign financing to reward long-term job outcomes, so that more workers stick with jobs once they are placed in them and learn the skills they need for jobs in growth industries.

4. Design a universal system of program assessment and information management, to eliminate redundancy and help programs make informed decisions about what works to create jobs that match business’s needs.

5. Create a formal Council of Workforce Advisers with foundations, businesses, unions and non-profits advising the mayor on creating a 21st-century training and employment system for the entire city.

Re-envisioning the New York City Workforce System is a blueprint for the next mayor to deliver on the promise of job creation and help businesses, small and large, succeed and expand. It is a call to action to build a workforce with skills that businesses can use today. The result — workforce development that works for jobseekers and employers — will create a stronger economy for the city and a better life for many New Yorkers.

The post How Workforce Development Can Work Well for Jobseekers and Business appeared first on Per Scholas.

From the employer to Insight Global:

“I wanted to take some time to recognize your team for the great job they have done during our refresh yesterday and last evening.

HP team of polite and knowledgeable technicians/installers lead by Alton McCarthy (pictured, 2012 graduate) came to our banking center yesterday and replaced our workstations and printers. I was impressed by their expertise and their ability to manage the entire process. Alton and his team were happy to be there to help us through our transition and have patiently explained the process to us. They asked for our input and did not disrupt our end of day activities in any way. Although we feared that we would have some issues with the systems , this morning we came in and everything was set up exactly the way we wanted it.

It is nice to have the opportunity to work with a team of people who are excited about their job and eager to make their customers happy. Alton and his team went above and beyond in their effort to make our experience with HP a positive one.

I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to have this team at my location. I hope their excellent work ethics and dedication will not go unnoticed.”

These compliments warm our hearts. We are very proud of Alton for representing himself and his fellow classmates so well, and we applaud Alton’s Per Scholas instruction team as well for their contributions. It’s strong work ethic expressed by the employer above that results in 80% of our graduates landing jobs following our IT job training.

Interested in hiring a student similar to Alton for your team and projects? Get in touch with our employment services team.

The post Employers Love Per Scholas Graduates appeared first on Per Scholas.