Per Scholas Announces Partnership with Ascendium Education Group to Advance Economic Mobility

Per Scholas is proud to announce a continuation of our partnership with Ascendium Education Group, a nonprofit committed to helping learners from low-income backgrounds achieve their career goals.

Through this investment, Ascendium is supporting Per Scholas as we scale our proven tech workforce training model nationwide. The partnership will expand immersive training programs, strengthen work-based learning opportunities, and help ensure long-term sustainability, enabling more learners to access high-growth careers in technology.

As demand for talent accelerates in areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, and Data Center operations, employers are seeking candidates with both technical proficiency and applied experience. Ascendium’s support will help Per Scholas keep its curriculum aligned to evolving industry needs while deepening hands-on learning through employer-led projects, apprenticeships, and other experiential models that prepare learners to contribute from day one.

“Scale requires more than resources — it requires shared belief in what is possible,” said Plinio Ayala, Chief Executive Officer of Per Scholas. “Ascendium’s partnership strengthens our ability to expand access to high-quality, no-cost training while maintaining the strong outcomes that define our model.”

With this investment, Per Scholas will increase enrollment in immersive training and Career Accelerator upskilling programs, launch new industry-aligned pathways, and continue building partnerships with employers and postsecondary institutions. The initiative also includes exploring public funding collaborations to support sustainable growth and broaden access to no-cost training.

Our partnership with Ascendium reflects a shared commitment to expanding pathways into thriving tech careers and strengthening long-term economic mobility for individuals, families, and communities nationwide.

About Ascendium:

Ascendium Education Group® is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization driven by the belief that learning after high school gives people the power to build better futures. Our national philanthropy focuses on increasing opportunities for learners from low-income backgrounds to achieve upward mobility through postsecondary education and workforce training. We partner with organizations whose objectives align with our core strategies to expand opportunity, support learner success, and connect and align systems. Our grantees include postsecondary education and workforce training providers, intermediaries, researchers, and media organizations from across the U.S. To learn more, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org.

About Per Scholas:

As Per Scholas celebrates 30 years of impact, we are charting an ambitious path forward—aiming to train and upskill 25,000 technologists annually by 2030, expanding access to high-growth tech careers and fostering economic mobility nationwide. Since 1995, we’ve offered no-cost tech training to more than 30,000 technologists in the most sought-after tech skills, generating over $35 billion in increased personal earnings. On average, our learners earn 3x their pre-training wage in their first role after Per Scholas. With 25 campuses and remote programs, we partner with employers—from Fortune 500 companies to startups—to create inclusive talent pipelines in fields like Cloud, Cybersecurity, Data Engineering, IT Support, and Software Engineering. More than half of our learners hold a high school diploma as their highest educational credential. We are building a future where successful careers in tech are accessible to everyone across urban, suburban, and rural communities, empowering individuals to unlock their potential and drive transformative economic change nationwide.

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