Per Scholas and Barclays Partnership Advancing Tech Careers

Since 2012, Per Scholas has partnered with Barclays, empowering our learners and alumni to unlock their potential. Recently, Barclays hosted a volunteer event at their Times Square location for our learners and alumni, which included mock interviews and networking opportunities with Barclays employees. In addition to the event, Per Scholas alumni currently working at Barclays were featured on Barclays’ large screens in Times Square, showing that our collaboration is about more than just jobs—it’s about mentorship and empowerment.

“Per Scholas technologists are incredibly determined to be successful,” Eliza Tam, Managing Director at Barclays, reflected following the mock interview volunteer event. “Their commitment and determination set them apart from the rest.” Such sentiments echo the notion that Barclays’ support runs deep and that they have an engaging role as partners and as managers.

Eliza met Jeff Ates at a Per Scholas mock interview event years ago while he was still a learner, and it was at that event that she knew Jeff had what it took to become a leader in the industry. 

Per Scholas was a perfect fit for Jeff, as it would provide him with the specific skills and job-readiness training needed to directly launch his career. Jeff was accepted into Per Scholas New York’s 2018 Cybersecurity cohort. Shortly thereafter, he was hired at Barclays for an accelerated apprenticeship opportunity, which quickly grew into his current role as a Unix System Administrator, which was a direct result of the networking portion of the mock interview event with Barclays. “I’ve got my dream job,” Jeff reflected. “My life has changed completely…financially, I’m doing way better than I ever projected. The work/life balance is also great, which is good for my work style.” Jeff continues to excel in his role and is eager to continue his career in technology. 

Our partnership with Barclays has enabled us to expand Per Scholas’ capacity to create stronger connections with a broad range of employers, establishing a sustainable tech talent pipeline across the nation and contributing to the development and implementation of our cybersecurity curriculum, which has trained more than 2,300 technologists. 

We are grateful for our partnership with Barclays, and look forward to more volunteer events including the recent mock interview event, which showcase the multiple facets of our innovative partnership.