Transportation is a major expense for Per Scholas students, so Community Engagement Associate, Mark Wiltshire, wanted to find a way to cut the cost of getting to class every day. He initiated a bike share program to give New York Per Scholas students and staff a discount on memberships to CitiBike, providing them with a more affordable option. Check out this video from CitiBike and NYC DOT to see Mark explain the program in his own words.

On October 30th, Per Scholas Champion Partner, JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Jennie Sparandara, executive director of Global Philanthropy joined Per Scholas graduate, Servon Lewis, on stage at The Atlantic’s Future of Work conference. The panel was moderated by The Atlantic’s higher education reporter, Adam Harris, who led both Jennie, Servon, and fellow panelists Mark Dunetz, CEO of New Visions for America and Carmel Martin, managing director, state and local partnerships at the Emerson Collective, through a conversation about investment strategies and program implementation that will open career pathways and skill-building opportunities for young adults in New York City.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. recently announced a $1 million philanthropic commitment to Per Scholas to round out a $6 million commitment the corporation made last year towards the New Skills for Youth Initiative in the Bronx. The commitment concentrates on developing a career-focused tech and work-based learning pathways for students at local Bronx high schools. The program is part of a joint effort between between Per Scholas and JPMorgan Chase & Co. to help connect young people from overlooked communities to sustainable jobs in the tech field.

The panel conversation covered topics including public and private funding strategies, as well as the importance of college degrees when assessing competency and capabilities for graduating students to enter the workforce. Servon shared his experience graduating from a technical high school in the Bronx where he was only offered two different options to continue his education in college. After realizing that the two career paths were not something he was interested in, Servon dropped out of school and struggled to find fulfilling and sustainable work without a degree.

When he found Per Scholas in 2011, Servon was introduced to careers in Information Technology, and after graduating found employment at Neuberger Berman where has been successful over the past six years. “By going through Per Scholas, I was able to get started in a career that I didn’t even know was a possibility” said Servon. “The team at Per Scholas is incredibly accessible, and the fact that they are helping people like me develop skills to have jobs I always thought you needed a college degree for, is really something special. I’m very happy to be a part of this community, and I’m glad we have the support of major corporations like JPMorgan in sharing the tech skills that lead to meaningful careers.”

Per Scholas has been an active member of the Bronx community for over 20 years, during which time the nonprofit has worked closely with private sector industry leaders to build relevant and hands-on curricula to prepare graduates for opportunities in current and future job markets. Panelists at the conference considered how to build inclusive programs that focus on individuals often excluded from pathways to the middle class. Through the partnership with JPMorgan, and the New Skills for Youth Initiative in the Bronx, Per Scholas will partner with several local high schools to build pilot programs that strengthen tech career pathways. The goal is to engage Bronx youth in tech work-based learning challenges that yield successful transitions from high school to postsecondary tech programs.

To read Inside Philanthropy’s take on JPMorgan’s investment in Per Scholas, click here.

On October 29th, United States Senator Gillibrand visited Per Scholas’ Bronx location to meet with students and staff and discuss first-hand a successful training model that is preparing motivated adults who are unemployed or under employed for careers in technology.

Senator Gillibrand participated in a mock interview with a Per Scholas student from the Bronx. The Senator also toured several classrooms including a CodeBridge web development class and an entry-level IT Support class and participated in a break and fix activity.

“What is going on over here?” asked the Senator of IT Support student and New York native, D’Artagnan Brown, who jumped into an explanation of the various computer components spread on the workbench in front of him. D’Artagnan was in the process of piecing the hardware back together, but took the time to explain each piece of technology to the Senator including the hard drive, graphics card, fan and wiring components that allowed the machine to function.

Afterwards, the Senator met with three women in tech at Per Scholas, each enrolled in a different technology course including IT Support, Cybersecurity and CodeBridge. The Senator asked questions about each students’ background, previous work experience and their employment goals after graduating from Per Scholas.

Julissa Ortega, a cybersecurity student and resident in Queens commented on the challenges she faced committing to full time technical training at Per Scholas with a six year old daughter dependent on her as a single mother. After graduating this past week Julissa was thrilled to share that she has accepted a position as an apprentice with Per Scholas’ champion partner, Barclays.

To read the press release about Senator Gillibrand’s visit to Per Scholas, click here.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Visits National Tech Training Nonprofit, Per Scholas

Discussion included opportunities to strengthen and expand successful workforce models and partnerships across New York.

October 29, 2019 Bronx, NY — Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand visited national tech training nonprofit, Per Scholas, to meet with students and staff and discuss first-hand a successful training model that is preparing motivated adults who are unemployed or underemployed for careers in technology. For over twenty years, Per Scholas has built employer-informed curriculum to ensure that the training students receive is relevant to today’s job market. In the last two years, Per Scholas has developed customized training tracks that are preparing students with in-demand skills for nuanced jobs at corporations. Currently Per Scholas offers nine unique training tracks in New York including: IT Support, Cybersecurity, Systems Administrator, Web Development, Data Engineering and Programmer Analyst.

Senator Gillibrand, a champion for economic mobility and working families, spoke with three students at Per Scholas’ Bronx training location enrolled in the Cybersecurity, Web Development and IT Support training tracks. Students shared details from the intensive 15-week training, the importance of industry recognized certifications, and the professional development opportunities including resume workshops and mock-interviews with employer partners. Students also discussed their backgrounds with the Senator and emphasized their limited experience in technology prior to coming to Per Scholas, however, each student identified strongly as life-long learners, dedicated problem solvers and a strong passion for tech.

“I was delighted to tour Per Scholas and meet with teachers and students learning the technical skills needed to get the in-demand, high-skilled jobs of today and be prepared for the 21st century jobs of tomorrow,” said SenatorGillibrand. “Companies across New York State have many high-tech jobs available, and I have fought for legislation that will help train students with the technical and computing skills they need to fill these jobs. I will continue to do everything I can to make sure that our state has the resources they need to better prepare students for high-quality jobs.”

“We were thrilled to host Senator Gillibrand at our Bronx headquarters, today, and meet Per Scholas students, the future technologists of tomorrow. Each student is an individual with both the intelligence and determination to succeed and all they are lacking is an opportunity — Per Scholas provides that opportunity” says Plinio Ayala, President & CEO, Per Scholas. “We have developed unique partnerships across sectors and industries to leverage our experience identifying and training talent from the community and worked with an extensive employer network to understand the relevant skills – and place students in sustainable careers.”

Per Scholas has been evaluated by two randomized control trials (RCTs) that have proven graduates earn more, are half as likely to rely on public assistance and experience substantial increases in life satisfaction. In addition, the most recent RCT demonstrated that graduates are earning more year over year suggesting that Per Scholas is able to provide students with a career and growth potential and not just a job.

Per Scholas data shows that 85% of students graduate and 80% of graduates are employed. By partnering with over 500+ companies in New York alone, Per Scholas has built a strong and diverse talent pipeline for employers in New York City. In 2017 Per Scholas enrolled over 500 individuals in New York and 1,000 nationally. Just this month Per Scholas announced the enrollment of its 8,000 student with plans to continue expanding training tracks and opportunities in New York and across the country.

About Per Scholas:

Per Scholas is a national nonprofit that drives positive and proven social change in communities across the country. Through rigorous and tuition-free technology training and professional development, we prepare motivated and curious adults who are unemployed or underemployed for successful careers as technology professionals, and we create onramps to businesses in need of their talents. Today we provide our solutions in seven cities across the country: Atlanta, GA; Greater Cincinnati, OH; Columbus, OH; Dallas, TX; the National Capital Region; Newark, NJ and New York. To date, Per Scholas has trained 8,000 individuals, helping them build lasting, life changing skills and careers in technology.