Platform Students on hand as TX Governor Abbot Cuts Ribbon at Cognizant’s Dallas-Irving Regional Technology and Service Delivery Center
Per Scholas Champion Partner Cognizant officially opened doors to its brand new Dallas-Irving Regional Technology and Service Delivery Center on Wednesday, August 29th. The new center “will bring 1,100 new jobs over the next five years” and the expanded operation will bring “skills training to the area through [the] partnership with Per Scholas” said Karen McLoughlin, Chief Financial Officer, Cognizant.
The kick-off event included remarks from Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer. Also in attendance were Cognizant partner corporations including representatives from fellow Per Scholas Champion partner, AT&T. The invitation was also extended to students and graduates of Platform by Per Scholas, individuals who are benefiting from the tuition-free training and hiring partnership. Platform by Per Scholas, offers employers a new line of customized training tracks that are designed for nuanced job specifications and skills relevant to an employers needs. The result is a workforce trained and ready for the job market, both with tech skills and business acumen.
In 2015 Per Scholas identified the Dallas-Fort Worth area as a region that would benefit significantly from increased training and career support opportunities. “The talent has always been here” says Meghann Bridgeman, Managing Director, Platform by Per Scholas, “we are able to quickly upskill individuals who need the extra training and career coaching to land a competitive job in technology.” Bearing in mind similar market insights, Cognizant and many other Fortune 500 and 1000 employers have noticed the pools of talent are developing thanks to new methods to source, recruit and train the future workforce for the region. According to McLoughlin, “Our intention would be to hire a very large portion of that workforce once they have completed the training. We work very hard to develop technology talent for our clients and ourselves.”
Cognizant and Per Scholas began their relationship in 2017 with the launch of the Cognizant Bronx Training Center. Both New York and Dallas locations have worked with Cognizant to develop customized training tracks including: Data Analytics, Cybersecurity, Application Support Management, Quality Engineering and Java Developer. The success of the partnership is evidenced directly in the Dallas Fort Worth region where Platform by Per Scholas is already placing graduates in technology jobs.
Platform by Per Scholas students in attendance were able to meet Governor Abbott as well as several Cognizant executives and members of the Per Scholas leadership responsible for the partnership. To read the Dallas Business Journal profiling the opening event, click here.
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