As it has been reported that there are more than 48,000 vacant tech jobs in North Carolina, Per Scholas North Carolina has partnered with NC Tech Paths and Wilkes Community College for one of the largest rural tech training initiatives in the country. This initiative is geared towards bringing tech training to the state’s rural communities in order to both increase the state’s tech talent pool and bring new tech jobs to rural areas.

With training first in Software Engineering and eventually IT Support, Per Scholas is set to train more than 2,500 learners over the next three years. The inaugural training in partnership with Wilkes Community College and NC Tech Paths will graduate in mid-May.

Read the full article on Per Scholas North Carolina’s partnership here. 

It has already been a busy year of graduations at Per Scholas, with multiple graduations from IT Support, AWS re/Start, Cybersecurity, and Software Engineering courses coming to a close and many more coming up. As we look to train 4,000 learners in 2022, we are well on our way with astonishing numbers from our skilled and qualified graduates. So far, Per Scholas has graduated more than 250 learners, with over 150 graduates acquiring tech certifications.  

“The tenacity and commitment of Per Scholas learners is inspiring, and I’m thrilled for our graduates as they embark on transformational tech careers,” said Jasmine Miller, who was recently promoted to Per Scholas’s Chief Training Officer. 

Notably, our remote training cohorts had learners from New York, Cincinnati, Denver, Greater Boston, and the National Capital Region successfully graduate from our AWS re/Start course. Chubb Executive Vice President and Digital Transformation Officer Julie Dillman joined as graduation speaker.  This graduating cohort hosted over 70 graduates with an average certification rate of over 94%!  

Additionally, we graduated our first two cohorts as part of our satellite partnership.  With over 30 graduates from our innovative satellite training program, we are well on our way to training  1,000 New Yorkers this year.  In this partnership, Per Scholas is teaming up with Commonpoint Queens and with the JCC of Staten Island as Satellite partners in order to offer these trainings in Queens and Staten Island respectively. Commonpoint Queens hosted the course at its Elmhurst Employment Hub and JCC of Staten Island at its Bernikow Headquarters.  

In another Remote Training graduation, with learners from our National Capital Region, Denver, New York, Boston, Cincinnati, and North Carolina campuses, over 100 graduates completed their IT Support training to launch their thriving tech careers. Eugene Jones, Director of ITS at Comcast, spoke as a keynote speaker, encouraging graduates to always keep learning – in tech and in life. 

With support from our funders, brilliant and empowering Instructors, and a strong Learner Support Team, our learners are sure to excel in their next endeavors as they launch their IT careers.  We are eager to see how the year continues on with such a successful start as we connect individuals who have a passion for technology with thriving technology careers. 

Per Scholas North Carolina launched its first cohort in partnership with Wilkes Community College (WCC) with seventeen learners selected from over 100 applicants to study software engineering. Wilkes Community College has partnered with NC Tech Paths to offer Per Scholas’ tech-free training to individuals in North Carolina.  “We see this (NC Tech Paths Inc.) as a game-changer for our students and our region, especially for many local people now with no opportunity for a job with a living wage,” said Dr. Jeff Cox, WCC president.

The inaugural cohort with this software engineering training will graduate in May and the learners will not just have technical and applicable industry skills, but technical experience interacting with employers in orientation, mock interviews, professional development and other ways to make them workforce-ready upon graduation.

To learn more about this partnership, read this article here.