IT Workforce Development Organization Per Scholas Receives Federal Grant to Create More Pathways to Tech Careers

Per Scholas Chosen to Provide Tech Training and Prepare More Un- or Underemployed Adults for Careers

NEW YORK (June 30, 2016) – This week, the Obama Administration announced $150 million in funding from the Department of Labor through TechHire partnership grants for organizations to launch innovative training and placement models to develop tech talent, as a way to keep and create jobs in local economies. Per Scholas, a national IT workforce development organization, will be implementing programs at for four of its sites – the National Capital Region, New York City, Columbus, and Greater Cincinnati. This funding will enable Per Scholas to deepen and expand its model for workforce development in order to provide life-changing business and life skills and to drive economic mobility for individuals in these regions.

In New York and the National Capital Region, funding will support Pathways to Tech Careers, a project in partnership with Jobs for the Future and General Assembly. Per Scholas’ Cincinnati and Columbus sites will participate as training providers for two other TechHire Partnership programs that are focused on connecting un- or underemployed individuals with careers in IT.

“We’re extremely honored to be a TechHire recipient. This award will enable us have an even greater impact on businesses, our students, and in the communities in which we work,” noted Plinio Ayala, president and chief executive officer of Per Scholas. “With this new funding, we can train and prepare even more individuals for a career in tech and ultimately, have long-term economic success and social mobility.”

Pathways to Tech Careers will establish and expand accelerated training programs that prepare youth and young adults with barriers to employment for high-wage, high-demand careers in IT in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Maryland. As implementing partners, Per Scholas and General Assembly will offer three different training programs, including web development boot camps, training in data analytics, and IT security, catered to young adults, veterans and other displaced workers.

This funding comes as part of $150 million in TechHire Partnership grants awarded to 39 programs across the country. Recognizing the unmet demand for tech workers around the country, President Obama launched TechHire to encourage states, cities, and rural areas to collaborate with employers and training providers to design and implement innovative approaches to develop the tech workforce. The grants are intended to enable communities to expand their local tech sectors.

Launched in 1995, Per Scholas provides rigorous and tuition-free technology training and professional development to people who are un- or underemployed. Oftentimes, these individuals are unable find sustainable pathways out of low-wage work, and Per Scholas provides free, effective training and program supports that enable them to launch successful careers in technology, while creating onramps to businesses in need of their talents. To date, Per Scholas has trained more than 5,000 individuals, helping them build successful careers in the tech sector. Per Scholas has been shown to produce large impacts in two separate independent studies – mostly recently by the WorkAdvance study as well as in the 2010 Sector Employment Impact Study.

To view the White House announcement, visit https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/06/27/fact-sheet-expanding-tech-economies-communities-across-country.