Our Boldest Experiment Yet: Satellite

New York City is awash with talent, attracting droves from around the globe. Yet, access to the vast array of opportunities within the city remains uneven – and even inaccessible – to all. One of the biggest barriers that exist in the nation’s largest city is commutable distances between boroughs. Entire communities within New York City remain cut off from prosperity geographically, culturally, and economically. The recent COVID-19 pandemic, the accompanying economic downturn, and the present rebound have made stark some of the persistent inequities in the city, prompting calls for action from City Hall, the business community, and others to ensure New York’s recovery is centered on equity and economic mobility. 

In perhaps our boldest experiment yet, Per Scholas has launched our Satellite Model where we embed our programming with a partner organization’s physical location and harness that entity’s connections with the local community, complementary services, and staff to expand access to high-quality tech training and careers. This hybrid approach to training offers remote instruction from Per Scholas’s Bronx or Brooklyn campus to learners in East New York, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. I am so proud that for the first time in our organizational history, we are training in all five boroughs. 

Learners enrolled at a Satellite location experience the same programming and are held to the same high standards as those enrolled at Per Scholas. Staff from Per Scholas and Satellite organizations work collaboratively to provide professional development, learner support, exposure to the tech industry, and career planning and job search assistance. 

Partnering for Impact

Through the generous support of our Founder’s Circle partner Barclays, we’ve developed a report assessing the Satellite Model’s structure, promise, and early learnings. The Satellite Model is designed to tap into and uplift both the New Yorkers who are far too often overlooked as potential technology talent, as well as the rich but fragmented ecosystem of workforce organizations and programs operating in areas of the city that are less accessible geographically to Per Scholas’s campuses. 

Here were our key findings:

• The Satellite Model is broadening Per Scholas’s reach into new communities and addressing unmet demand for locally accessible tech training.
• Learners to date receive what appears to be an equal training experience.
• The Satellite Model incorporates an extensive scaffolding of capacity-building supports to set partner organizations – and the partnerships – up for success.
• A Satellite “ecosystem” is taking shape, linking Satellite partners to one another as well as to Per Scholas.
• Per Scholas and its Satellite partners are building a compelling story about collaborative outcomes and impacts.
• The Satellite Model holds promise for achieving greater efficiencies in staffing and costs in the long run but will necessitate Per Scholas staff to play significant roles in program implementation and administration for longer than anticipated. 

National Potential

“The Satellite Model allows for Per Scholas to meet the growing demand for tech training and will help more individuals launch upwardly mobile careers,” said Deborah Goldfarb, Global Head of Citizenship for Barclays. “Critically, Per Scholas will be able to further break down barriers and create access for learners across New York City and beyond.” 

The Satellite approach could have national implications in the future, beyond New York City. It might prove to be applicable in a market covering a large geographic area with sufficient tech employment opportunities dispersed throughout. If an appropriate community organization in a suburban or rural area can be identified to partner with the Per Scholas campus in a central business district, the Satellite Model is one promising strategy for increasing access to training for more prospective learners. 

Per Scholas recently partnered with Apollo for an enriching and valuable volunteer event in New York.  This event marks the second in-person event since the pandemic struck and featured resume reviews and mock interviews. The event was hosted by Apollo Managing Director Greg Sills and Chief Information Officer Jamey Lamanna. Greg is also a longtime Per Scholas National Advisory Board member. 

The event is one of more than fifty volunteer events Apollo has put on around the world this summer and aligned with Per Scholas’s mission to advance careers in tech through tuition-free training.  

During the event, one of our learners reflected, “I was so nervous before coming into this opportunity and speaking with professionals in tech. After speaking with them and getting their business insight, there was meaning behind their work, and I feel much more comfortable and better equipped as a professional.”  It was also mentioned that there was a huge value in the event being in-person, as it offered a chance to meet professionals in a real business setting, much like what our learners will encounter when they begin their job searches and interviewing. 

There was great intention throughout the event from Apollo, as they gathered people from their tech teams from another office location versus bringing in team members not familiar with the industry. Their interview advice and resume tips were applicable to our learners and graduates that are looking to enter the tech industry. 

During the volunteer event, Jamey Lamanna reflected on a memorable interview experience that wasn’t just a step in getting a job but a moment to grow, which he has carried with him ever since. The event also featured a question and answer session where Apollo team members provided tips to be more polished as professionals, made our learners more comfortable, and shared ways to be more aggressive and confident when speaking about themselves in an interview. 

We are excited for more volunteer opportunities with the Apollo Opportunity Foundation in the New York community. This was a great way for one of our partners to get involved with our mission and immerse themselves with our learners. We look forward to more in-person volunteer events in the future.  

To learn more about volunteer partnerships with Per Scholas or in-person volunteer opportunities, reach out to Miguelina Manriquez.  

Per Scholas is thrilled to announce that we are part of the inaugural cohort of organizations to receive a grant from the Clayton Dubilier & Rice Foundation! We have been identified as one of Clayton Dubilier & Rice‘s Talent Solution Partners (“TSP”), aligning with the Foundation’s goal of supporting “Equity through Opportunity” by offering traditionally underrepresented talent in CD&R’s local communities access to job training, high-quality jobs, and ongoing professional development opportunities throughout their career journey.

This grant is awarded specifically to strengthen the equity, growth, skills, and workforce development systems in New York City. “Over the past 44 years, CD&R has built a reputation for driving positive impact and innovation throughout our portfolio and in our local communities,” said Don Gogel, Chairman of both CD&R and the CD&R Foundation. “The CD&R Foundation meaningfully expands these efforts, and we look forward to working with our TSPs to move the needle on inclusive employment and advancement practices.”

Click here to learn more about this inaugural partnership!