Corporate Partner Spotlight: Neuberger Berman
May 1st marked Per Scholas’ 4th Neuberger Berman (NB) field trip which exposed 23 lucky students to a world where corporate IT Managers to VPs shared a glimpse of how their IT environment functioned. NB’s “Celebration with Service” day started off at NB’s midtown Manhattan office by educating the lucky bunch on NB’s technology departments and by having two Per Scholas alumni working at the firm speak with a Q & A session about their time at NB and how it has since exposed and enhanced their IT career and skills. Thereafter our...
read moreOlympia LaRose | Student of the Month
Olympia LaRose is another Per Scholas graduate who will go down in history. She is the first graduate to be hired at global financial firm PIMCO, a rising star of a corporate partner who has supported Per Scholas for the past two years on many levels. Olympia, being a graduate of our Women in Tech program, feels her success is an inspiration to other young women of color to pursue careers in technology, a movement gaining much attention in the industry. “The very woman who loves Saks Avenue and six-inch heels is quite capable of climbing...
read moreSoftware Testing & Career Advice by Keith Klain, Barclays
Keith Klain loves talking software testing. Just Google his name to see for yourself. Keith is Head of Barclays Global Test Center, where he oversees some 700 employees. Prompted by CIO of Barclays and Per Scholas Board member Joe Squeri, he sees software testing as the avenue for dozens if not hundreds of Per Scholas graduates to get their start in a technology career. 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...
read moreEmbracing Failure, Falling in Love with Problems
“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...
read moreWelcome Angela Thompson, the newest member of Per Scholas | Columbus
The Per Scholas Columbus family is growing! 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...
read moreRoad Trippin’: National Expansion news from Columbus, Washington D.C. & New York City
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...
read moreHappy Earth Day — Per Scholas Reduces Carbon Footprint with key Corporate Partners through E-Waste Program
We always put our IT training successes in the spotlight, but on Earth Day we move the spotlight to our Asset Recovery team and the corporate partners who share our commitment to a cleaner planet. Since last Earth Day Per Scholas has prevented 261 tons of e-waste from hitting landfills, a total of 28,000 units of equipment from CPU towers to microwave ovens. That weight is the equivalent to 30 grown elephants. Our committed partners Debevoise & Plimpton, Fox Cable Network, and Estee Lauder are observing this Earth Day by having a...
read moreJoe Squeri and Barclays to Receive Honors at 2013 ROI Corporate Dinner
Last year, at our very first ROI (Reach Opportunity Impact) Dinner, Per Scholas recognized the leadership of JPMorgan Chase, one of our longest-term corporate partners, and Guy Chiarello, the bank’s Chief Information Officer. This year we are proud to honor one of our very newest – Barclays and Joe Squeri, Chief Information Officer of Barclays Corporate & Investment Bank – at the second annual ROI dinner on June 12, 2013. Per Scholas’ annual ROI dinner celebrates our accomplishments with the corporate partners large and small who...
read moreHow Workforce Development Can Work Well for Jobseekers and Business
Plinio Ayala, President and CEO of Per Scholas, wrote “How Workforce Development Can Work Well for Jobseekers and Business” April 4, 2013. It was posted to the Huffington Post blog “What is Working: Small Business.” 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...
read moreEmployers Love Per Scholas Graduates
A large majority of Per Scholas graduates begin their IT careers through short and long-term contract work. IT staffing agencies and managed service providers such as ASI, Unisys, Harvey Nash, Robert Half, Peak Systems, Insight Global and many more turn to Per Scholas for talent on projects with some of their biggest clients. Insight Global wrote us this week to pass along the praises from one of their Fortune 500 clients. From the employer to Insight Global: “I wanted to take some time to recognize your team for the great job they have...
read more
