Preparing for the AI Era: How Per Scholas Is Powering the Future of Tech Talent

In a very short time, artificial intelligence has emerged from research labs into our everyday lives. From automating complex analytics to powering new forms of customer interaction, AI has already changed the way we do business. But the most amazing thing about this technology is that we’ve only scratched the surface of its potential.

What will truly usher in the AI era is a new class of tech talent. No matter how sophisticated the algorithms become, there will always be a need for uniquely human skills to make the most of AI. No matter how advanced, technology is simply a tool. Without human creativity, critical thinking, and ethical reasoning, it amounts to nothing more than ones and zeroes.

Per Scholas has spent the last three decades preparing the next generation of talent to unlock technology’s potential. By providing no-cost tech training to aspiring professionals from underrepresented communities, we have helped businesses navigate the industry’s biggest shifts— from IT support and cybersecurity to cloud computing and, now, AI. Here’s a look at how we’re powering the future of tech talent at this critical moment.

Adapting to AI: 30 Years of Agility

Over the past 30 years, our mission at Per Scholas has remained the same: to create equitable access to high-growth tech careers by providing rigorous, no-cost tech training. We believe that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. Our model is designed to bridge that gap by connecting skilled tech talent from often-overlooked communities with leading employers.

To keep up with our mission over the decades, we’ve had to adapt to the rapid changes in the tech industry. We navigated the dot-com bubble, the rise of cloud computing, and the cybersecurity arms race. None of these changes was easy to manage, but successfully riding these waves only made us more agile.

Each time, we retooled and reskilled our curriculum to meet the needs of the business market. It’s this commitment to continuous evolution that has prepared us for the next great transformation —the move into the AI era.

Building AI Fluency Into Every Course

To prepare our learners for the modern workforce, AI fluency has become a core component of the Per Scholas curriculum. Every learner, regardless of their specific track, now begins their no-cost tech training with foundational instruction in generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot.

However, this new curriculum goes way beyond writing simple prompts for an AI chatbot. With modules covering essential topics such as how AI systems actually work, learners build fluency with the technology. They understand what AI can do and its current limitations. 

At Per Scholas, we place a heavy emphasis on the ethical use of AI, training our learners to recognize and mitigate potential bias. We also teach our learners how to critically evaluate AI-generated outputs rather than accepting them at face value.

Integrating AI Into Learning Tracks

The foundational AI knowledge our learners gain is then woven directly into our training tracks. This way, our emerging tech talent learns to integrate AI into real-world scenarios properly.

• Cybersecurity: Learners explore how to use AI-driven tools for advanced, real-time threat detection and response, identifying patterns that a human analyst might miss.

• Software engineering: Aspiring developers use AI assistants to write, test, and debug code more efficiently, learning how to partner with the technology to build better applications, faster.
• Data engineering: By leveraging AI, learners unlock the power of predictive analytics and gain deeper insights from complex machine learning models.

By integrating the technology across all of our courses, every Per Scholas alumnus enters the workforce job-ready and future-proof.

Launching AI-Focused Courses and Tools

Beyond making AI fluency a core competency in every Per Scholas course, we have also launched specialized tracks focused on the technology. This suite of courses is geared toward AI-centric careers, including:

• AI Prompt Engineering
• Azure AI Fundamentals
• AI Cloud Practitioner (currently in development)

Of course, we’re also using AI to support learners through our training. The custom-developed Per Scholas AI-powered tools enhance the learner’s journey by providing personalized, real-time assistance. These tools include:

• Azari AI: Our custom chatbot provides learners with real-time help with their coursework and interview practice, available around the clock.
• ResumeBoost: This innovative tool helps learners generate job-ready, professional resumes in minutes, a process that used to take hours.
• AdeptID: We leverage AI to match learners with job postings for their best-fit career paths, analyzing their skills and aptitudes to guide them toward the roles where they are most likely to thrive.

The real-world impact of these tools is undeniable. We have cut resume preparation time from 6 hours down to just 45 minutes and have reduced our learners’ time-to-job-attainment by up to 20%. More importantly, the Per Scholas suite of AI tools has dramatically increased learner confidence and readiness.

Lessons Learned: Humans + AI Outperform

One of the biggest lessons we have learned at Per Scholas over the last 30 years is that technology doesn’t replace people; it enhances them. Although AI can seem human-like, it does nothing to change this principle. Our years of experience only reinforce the fact that the true value of AI is unlocked by skilled tech talent.

We hear the same from our employer partners. Companies aren’t looking for talent that can simply operate an AI-powered tool. Instead, they need tech talent that knows how to use AI critically: those who can ask the right questions, interpret the outputs, spot the flaws, and integrate the technology into a broader business strategy.

This is why the Per Scholas model — which has always blended technical competency with essential human abilities — is more valuable than ever. Our no-cost tech training is built on these foundational skills:

• Critical thinking and a learning mindset.
• Collaboration among various tech teams.
• The adaptability to pivot as technology evolves.
• Communication and the ability to translate complex concepts to non-technical stakeholders.

As AI continues to advance, so will the Per Scholas curriculum, so that our alumni are always prepared for the next wave of innovation.

The Future of Tech Careers: Opportunities Ahead

One of our primary responsibilities at Per Scholas is to ensure our learners become the tech talent that our employer partners will need next. We’re constantly studying the news and industry developments to ensure the skills our learners gain are relevant to the opportunities available to them. Here’s a look at some of the trends we see now that will shape the future of tech careers:

AI-Driven Roles Are Emerging Now

The World Economic Forum predicts that AI will disrupt nine million jobs in the near future. However, the technology will also create an astounding 11 million jobs, a net positive of 2 million jobs that will need to be filled by 2030.

We are already seeing strong demand for entirely new positions, such as AI prompt engineer, AI-native developer, and AIOps specialist.

Data and Cloud Careers Are Expanding

AI runs on a steady stream of data, and data today lives in the cloud. The boom in AI has supercharged the demand for data and cloud professionals. 

In response, we’ve expanded our no-cost tech training offerings to include tracks such as Data Engineering and Power BI, as well as more foundational courses like Cloud Practitioner.

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Remain Essential

As technology becomes more complex, securing its data becomes more challenging. That’s why we have transformed our courses for traditional IT roles. 

For example, learners in Data Center Technician courses now use AI for predictive maintenance to prevent outages before they happen. In addition, our future Cybersecurity Analysts leverage AI for real-time threat detection,

Tech-Adjacent Roles Are Rising, Too

The AI revolution is impacting more than the highly technical roles. We are seeing tremendous growth in tech-adjacent positions that blend business acumen with AI fluency. 

Positions in Salesforce Administration, ServiceNow, and HR Tech are booming, as these roles require professionals who understand how to use the latest technology to solve business problems.

The Future Is Human + AI Collaboration

The future of work isn’t AI versus humans: it’s humans empowered by AI. Going forward, this will be the new model of productivity, innovation, and career growth. Per Scholas is playing a big role in shaping this future. Our commitment is twofold:

1. To make AI-driven careers accessible to tech talent from every community.
2. To keep our no-cost tech training relevant by evolving our curriculum at the speed of technology.

As we head into the AI era, our mission at Per Scholas is clearer than ever. Whether you’re an aspiring learner who wants to explore our no-cost tech training courses or an employer who would like to partner with Per Scholas to hire skilled, AI-fluent tech talent, visit the Per Scholas website today.