Per Scholas Chicago Featured in Crain’s Chicago Business

Crain’s Chicago Business featured Per Scholas Chicago in a recent article, “Career readiness programs score wins for job seekers and employers,” highlighting Per Scholas as a program that is actively and successfully training learners to launch their careers in tech.

Per Scholas Chicago has been open since June 2020 and has graduated more than 250 diverse learners. “We’re trying to diversify the tech sector. Sometimes it feels like baby steps, quite frankly,” said Per Scholas Chicago Senior Managing Director Andi Drileck. “We’re making a big effort, but there is a really long way to go.”

Read the full article here.

Per Scholas Chicago Celebrates Graduates and Hosts Open House

In early October, we held an Open House at Per Scholas Chicago – the first since opening our doors in the Windy City in June 2020. At our celebratory event, we held a graduation ceremony for our recent End User Desktop Support+ graduates and tour of our facility. 

Per Scholas Chicago graduates

Since launching Per Scholas Chicago in partnership with TEKsystems, we have trained 230 learners for high-growth careers in tech. During our Open House event, we were honored to have Congressman Danny K. Davis, U.S Representative of the 7th District of Illinois in attendance and speak to our graduates. Additional speakers included CompTIA President and CEO Todd Thibodeaux as our keynote speaker, TEKsystems Director of Business Operations Roger Cantu, and Per Scholas Chief Development Officer Caitlyn Brazill. 

CompTIA President and CEO speaking

We were thrilled to hear from Per Scholas Chicago graduate and Advisory Board member Veronica Vergara on her experience and to have Per Scholas Senior Managing Director Andi Drileck acknowledge the hard work and dedication of our graduates. 

Following the graduation ceremonies and remarks, there was an Open House that included networking and checking out the Per Scholas Chicago campus. We look forward to advancing tech careers for more graduates in our Chicago community and connecting our learners to our partners like TEKsystems in the future.

 

Per Scholas Chicago Establishes Advisory Board

Per Scholas Chicago Establishes Advisory Board
Leaders from Fortune 100s, Technology, Nonprofit, Professional Services Contribute to Transform America’s Tech Workforce

Per Scholas Chicago Advisory BoardCHICAGO, IL (October 6, 2022) — Per Scholas Chicago today announced the creation of its inaugural Advisory Board. Leaders from Fortune 100 companies, technology, professional services and the nonprofit sector will contribute their time and talent to supporting Per Scholas and its mission to transform America’s technology workforce through rigorous tech skills training.

Inaugural Per Scholas Chicago Advisory Board Members include:

  • Charles Herman, Managing Director, Executive Search & IT Direct Hire Enterprise Delivery, The Judge Group
  • Sandee Kastrul, President and Co-Founder, i.c. stars
  • Gwendolyn McNutt, Regional External Affairs Manager, Comcast
  • Veronica Vergara, Application Development Associate, Accenture and Per Scholas Chicago Graduate
  • Anna Witler, Vice President, Sales Integration, CDW

Since launching in Chicago in June of 2020, Per Scholas Chicago has trained nearly 230 learners in in-demand skills including IT Support, End User Desktop Support, AWS re/Start, and Full Stack Java Developer.

“Per Scholas Chicago is delighted to launch our inaugural Advisory Board with visionary leadership from Charlie, Sandee, Gwendolyn, Veronica, and Anna. We’re committed to training best-in-class tech talent and being a contributing member of the powerful tech ecosystem here in Chicago,” said Andi Drileck, Per Scholas Chicago Senior Managing Director.

Aligned with Per Scholas’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, 4 in 5 Chicago learners are people of color and a third identify as women. In 2022, Per Scholas Chicago is on track to train 120 learners in a variety of skills for high-growth tech careers including IT Support, AWS re/Start, and End User Desktop Support.

Locally, Per Scholas Chicago is generously supported by Building Better Futures. To learn more about Per Scholas Chicago, please visit www.PerScholas.org/Chicago.

The Per Scholas Chicago Advisory Board will participate in a celebration of the Chicago campus on October 14, 2022. To learn more and RSVP, click here.

 About Per Scholas: Per Scholas is a national organization that has been advancing economic mobility for 27 years. Through rigorous training, professional development, and robust employer connections, we prepare individuals traditionally underrepresented in technology for high-growth careers in the industry. We partner with leading employers to build more diverse talent pools, directly connecting our graduates to new career opportunities at businesses ranging from Fortune 500 companies to innovative startups. With campuses in 19 cities, Per Scholas has trained more than 17,000 individuals in tech skills, building bridges to careers in technology. To learn more, visit PerScholas.org and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Charles Herman

Veronica Vergara

Anna Witler

Gwendolyn McNutt

Sandee Kastrul

Per Scholas Chicago Managing Director Speaks on CompTIA Panel

Per Scholas Chicago Managing Director Andi Drileck was a panelist for CompTIA’s Partner Welcome discussion, The Keys to Success. This discussion was among various panels at CompTIA’s Partner Summit, an event hosting their partners for recognition, learning, connection, and engagement. The Computing Technology Industry Association is an American non-profit trade association issuing professional certifications for the information technology industry. It is considered one of the IT industry’s top trade associations. Per Scholas offers training and preparation for many CompTIA certifications that are part of our regular training and alumni services: A+, Network+, CySA+ (cybersecurity), and Security+.

CompTIA Panelists on stage

Andi Drileck was a member of the panel with Jason Dion, Lead Instructor at Dion Training Solutions, and Tiffany Wallace, VP of Business Development at United Training. The panel was moderated by James Stanger, Chief Technology Evangelist at CompTIA. During the panel, Andi discussed Per Scholas Chicago and our mission as well as our learner’s experience throughout training and beyond. “We need to help support our learners with that imposter syndrome they may have with additional workshops and support. Now, we try to provide the full holistic support for our learners so they can be successful,” Andi remarked. 

In addition to our cost-free tech training, Per Scholas also covers the cost of certifications and preparation tools following graduation for CompTIA certifications for our learners to obtain. To watch the full event, click here!

 

 

Michael Jordan