Per Scholas was awarded a generous grant from the R.K. Mellon Foundation to train 100 learners for high-growth technology careers, developing a diverse graduate talent pipeline and spurring economic inclusion and growth in Pittsburgh.  The grant, totaling $100,000, is set to stimulate ‘new-economy’ jobs locally in Pittsburgh, and we are so appreciative of this grant and the opportunity to make an impact in our local community.

Click here learn more about the grant and R.K. Mellon Foundation.

Pittsburgh Natives Drive Equity in Tech in Per Scholas Leadership Roles

Pittsburgh, Penn. (June 28, 2021) – Last Friday, 20 learners successfully graduated from Per Scholas’s inaugural Full Stack Java Developer course in Pittsburgh, powered by TEKsystems, a full-stack technology and talent services provider. For more than 25 years, Per Scholas has advanced economic equity through technology, and this course marks the national nonprofit’s first graduation in its three-city expansion in 2021. In May, Per Scholas launched inaugural tech trainings in Phoenix and Seattle, with learners expected to graduate in August.

Franklin Reed, Executive Director of Inclusion & Diversity at TEKsystems, delivered remarks during the virtual celebration, encouraging graduates to keep climbing in their technology careers. “This is a game-changing approach to addressing some of the challenges we see as the country’s largest IT talent provider,” he said. “The partnership between TEKsystems and Per Scholas is a tremendous connection, driving our ability to address the labor shortages that exist in IT as well as some of the diversity challenges.”

Graduates have mastered specific technical skills employers seek in entry and mid-level Java Developers, advanced their coding skills, and gained experience with Java, data structures, web services, algorithms, and more. Today, TEKsystems is hosting a Per Scholas Employer Showcase where graduates have the opportunity to present their final projects and meet with local employers.

Pittsburgh natives Todd Derby and Tamara Abney are leading Per Scholas Pittsburgh as Managing Director and Senior Manager, Business Solutions, respectively. A lifelong educator, Todd leads the strategic and programmatic direction of Per Scholas Pittsburgh. Prior to joining Per Scholas, Todd served in a variety of roles with Higher Achievement. Tamara brings more than 20 years of experience in employer relations, hospitality, advertising, and corporate training and previously led Employer Relations efforts for the Jewish Family and Community Services Career Development Center in Pittsburgh.

“I am so incredibly proud of our learners. Their determination, teamwork, and grit that was on display each day was truly remarkable. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this talented group. The opportunities that await here in Pittsburgh, I sincerely believe, are limitless,” said Todd Derby, Per Scholas Pittsburgh Managing Director. “We are grateful to our champion partner TEKsystems, as well as Partner4Work, the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, and InnovatePGH, all of whom continue to champion our work in Pittsburgh. The way in which this community has rallied around Per Scholas is humbling.”

A hiring partner since 2013, TEKsystems has hired hundreds of Per Scholas graduates to date. In collaboration with Per Scholas, TEKsystems will train hundreds more for high-demand roles over the next two years.

In mid-July, Per Scholas Pittsburgh will offer its second tech training opportunity, this time focused on End User Desktop Support. This course is also powered by TEKsystems and designed to prepare learners with fundamental concepts in Networking, Active Directory, ITIL and more. Successful learners will graduate with CompTIA A+ certification in 12 weeks. For more information, please visit PerScholas.org/Pittsburgh.

About Per Scholas

Per Scholas is a national organization that has been advancing economic mobility for 25 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 17 cities, Per Scholas has trained more than 14,000 individuals in tech skills, building bridges to careers in technology. To learn more, visit PerScholas.org.

About TEKsystems

We’re partners in transformation. We help clients activate ideas and solutions to take advantage of a new world of opportunity. We are a team of 80,000 strong, working with over 6,000 clients, including 80% of the Fortune 500, across North America, Europe and Asia. As an industry leader in Full-Stack Technology Services, Talent Services and real-world application, we work with progressive leaders to drive change. That’s the power of true partnership. TEKsystems is an Allegis Group company.

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As we mark one year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic put tens of millions of Americans out of work, we’re starting to see signs of hope. But while vaccinations and reopenings suggest a return of normalcy, many of our most vulnerable community members risk being left behind. 

Through a generous partnership, Per Scholas and Google.org are working together to bring free immersive tech skills training and Google Career Certificate programming to 3,000+ BIPOC adults. This is a major contribution to Per Scholas’ goal of to propel 13,000+ diverse adults to a thriving wage by 2023.

Currently, for Black and Hispanic workers, the reported jobless rates remain significantly higher than the general population numbers, as they have been throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. And for many who were working low-wage jobs across leisure, retail and hospitality sectors, these jobs are not expected to come back. Meanwhile, demand for tech talent continues to rise, and employers across industries are paying a  renewed focus on filling open roles with diverse talent, including individuals from nontraditional educational backgrounds. 

Per Scholas and Google.org are providing individuals traditionally underrepresented in technology with the skills they need to meet these current labor demands, while working to ensure all alumni achieve a true thriving wage – enough to save money for retirement, invest in children’s education, or own a home – within two years of graduation. Through this grant, Google.org is providing free access for learners to its array of Google Career Certificates to 2,000+ Per Scholas alums [ register for IT Automation with Python today].

This work also encompasses support for Per Scholas’ Diverse by Design – which provides corporate leaders with the training and resources they need to recruit, retain, and cultivate diverse talent. Through solutions-driven conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion within tech, DxD produces meaningful content that empowers C-suite leaders to make valuable and socially impactful business decisions, and provides access to sophisticated customized training and talent sourcing solutions.

Google’s own Stephanie LeBlanc-Godfrey, Global Head of Inclusion for Women of Color, recently participated in a Diverse by Design panel discussion, hosted by Per Scholas, titled the 140K: Women and the Pandemic in which we explored the unique challenges that COVID-19 has presented for women and the solutions tech companies are employing to address them.  Stephanie emphasized that, “It is our responsibility to make tech careers more accessible to women, and one clear solution to significantly accelerate that opportunity for women is through organizations like Per Scholas, which provide tuition-free tech-training, reducing the barriers of time and financial cost women traditionally face when they are trying to enter the tech industry.  This levels the playing field and makes access to tech career opportunities more equitable.”

This announcement builds on a five-year history with Google.org, which has supported local markets in New York  and Atlanta, and has already awarded Google Career Certificates to more than 1,000 Per Scholas learners who have completed in Google IT Support Professional and Google IT Automation. 

The powerful impact of the Google and Per Scholas tech training partnership comes to life through the experience of our graduates. Curtis Kirksey had been interested in getting into the tech industry for a while, but it wasn’t until he lost his sales job due to the COVID-19 pandemic that he realized it was time to pursue his dream career.  In his words, “the life-altering event” taught him that “mindset is crucial to one’s well-being,” and once he realized that, he began working on himself.  

Curtis enrolled in Per Scholas’ Network Support training program and, although attending a full-time remote class was extremely challenging, he managed to earn his CompTIA A+, CompTIA Net+, and Google IT Support certifications AND graduated as class Valedictorian. 

Curtis was in such high demand that he had several job offers when he graduated. He is currently employed full-time in the tech industry, earning significantly more than he did in his previous role in sales.

“Your opportunities are endless when it comes to this type of industry,” Curtis told WSB-TV Atlanta in a recent interview about his experience. He hopes to one day be chosen to work at the new Google site in Atlanta. “That would be a dream job to work for Google, and to know they are right here in my backyard,” Curtis said. “It gives me hope.”

Google.org’s support is helping propel students like Curtis to successful careers with thriving wages, while also helping Per Scholas advance racial and economic equity in the tech workforce, and create high-quality career pathways opportunities for thousands of diverse individuals who might otherwise never have been able to access them. 

An instructor with one of our learners, exploring the internal workings of a computer (pre-Covid).