BRONX, N.Y. — March 5, 2015 — Per Scholas graduate and local Bronx native Servon Lewis, 26, gave the opening speech at a national summit in Washington, D.C. on February 26 focused on creating more job and career opportunities for young people across the United States.

The event hosted by Opportunity Nation, a bipartisan coalition, convened over 1,000 attendees and featured elected officials, nonprofits, higher education institutions and businesses to discuss the major problems blocking economic, social and educational opportunity for young adults. Additional speakers included Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Chair of the House Republican Conference; U.S. Secretary of Labor, Thomas Perez; Senator Cory Booker and others.

Servon Lewis graduated from the free IT job training program offered by Per Scholas in 2012. He was then accepted for a paid internship program offered to Per Scholas graduates by its corporate partner, Neuberger Berman, a private, employee-owned investment manager. He still works with the firm today and has received two promotions since the internship.

“We are proud Servon is on our team, where he is an important member of IT support, a critical function in the context of a firm managing $250 billion for clients globally,” said George Walker, Chairman and CEO of Neuberger Berman. “We met Servon through our support of Per Scholas—one of many community partners. What commenced as a 10-week internship was quickly extended to a nine-month assignment and became a full-time role given Servon’s deep commitment to excellence and his strong communication and technical skills. He has made our firm a better place, helping us continue to serve our clients.”

“I want to work. I want to succeed. And, you know what? I’m good at what I do!” Lewis shared with the audience as he told the story of his childhood in the Bronx Monroe housing projects and his personal journey to professional achievements driven by determination and hard work. “I’m sharing this today because we need more companies like Neuberger Berman willing to partner with more programs – like Per Scholas – to make sure that the talent which exists within our communities is being reached and the opportunity made accessible.”

Currently, young adults ages 16-24 face unemployment rates nearly twice the national average and nearly six million youth are neither in school nor working. Opportunity Nation seeks to expand economic opportunity and close the opportunity gap by amplifying the work of its coalition members and advocating policy and private sector actions. The 2015 National Opportunity Summit was hosted by Opportunity Nation and Co-convened Business Roundtable (BRT), JAG (Jobs for America’s Graduates), U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and United Way Worldwide.

Per Scholas is a national nonprofit organization offering free, high quality technology education, job training, placement and career development opportunities to people in underserved communities. Since 1998, more than 5,000 unemployed and underemployed adults (18+ years old) have enrolled in its job training programs. Servon Lewis was previously featured following a similar speech he gave at the Per Scholas 2013 ROI Corporate Dinner. For more information visit perscholas.org and Facebook.

The 3rd annual Ping! event had the biggest turnout yet with 250 guests coming out to support Per Scholas’ women in tech mission at SPiN in New York City.

Front and center all night were the very women representing the movement to increase the number of women of color in the techindustry — who are estimated today to make up only 3% of the tech workforce. Per Scholas will train 500 New Yorkers by the end of 2014 and at least 35% will be women — the highest percentage ever to enroll in our history. Per Scholas is further committed to making that figure 50% by 2016 — in short, we will train nearly 1,000 women to launch technology careers.

The night had many fun additions this year with a photo booth (run by Per Scholas Women in Tech grad Ana Luz Perez!), a pop-up shop by Sartor, rides from Lyft for all guests, Jets and Barclays Center ticket prizes, General Assembly passes and lots of hijinks. As always, the doubles tournament was fiercely competitive. The bar keeps being raised year after year as sponsors and individual supporters vie for the coveted Ping! trophies. Props to the champs Gautej and Jonathan of team Heavy No Spin (and also last year’s 2nd place winners) who took on GFT Group in the finals. Congrats to all the winners and thanks to all 16 teams for participating in the tournament.

We also thank our 16 sponsors who made this night possible — Accenture, Barclays, Bloomberg, Braddock Matthews, Career Group, Doran Jones, General Assembly, Google, JPMorgan Chase, Liquid Technology, Lyft, NY Tech Council, PIMCO, Prosperian Wealth, Public Works Partners, and RVM.

Special recognition is due to the 2014 host committee members: Carrie Bloss, Kate Campbell, Barbara Chang, Ben Chrenlich, Carolyn Gamanos, Debra Ellen Glickstein, Ankur Jain, Kate Janeski, Suneet Kamath, Kari Kovarik, Adam Nalewajek, Annie Norbeck, Amanda O’Donnell, Nisha Patel, Michelle Pullaro, Damian Rivera, James Wanga — and of course the Per Scholas Board of Directors.

With our third Ping! event in the bag, we are humbled by the overwhelming positive response. There are many ways to support our goal to train 1,000 women for careers in tech. Stay involved! Your support has a profound impact on the lives of our students.

From everyone at Per Scholas, thank you.

Per Scholas convenes cyber security task force to build pipeline for cyber security need in the National Capital Region.

Experts from private industry, higher education, and government join Per Scholas to begin initial planning.

Per Scholas, National IT workforce development expert, brings together cyber security specialists in a conversation on the regional skills gap for entry-level cyber security positions. The panel convened October 8 at the Silver Spring Civic Center with leaders from private industry, higher education, and government working in partnership to develop pathways into the cyber workforce.

“Cyber is so dynamic. You cannot teach it from a textbook,” said panelist Renee Forney, Executive Director of CyberSkills Management Support Initiative at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “The key is true information sharing. If all interested parties can work together, then we can create a workforce that is agile enough to combat these threats.”

The recent security breach at JPMorgan Chase has caused cyber security issues to rise to the top of headlines and the priority list of policy experts, educators and business owners. The issue of cyber security is by no means new to the industry with 1.5 million cyber attacks monitored in the U.S. in 2013. Nor is the problem exclusive to our biggest companies: 75 percent of breaches occur in companies with fewer than 100 employees.

The Washington metro area had more than 23,000 job postings for cyber security positions in 2013, the largest concentration in the nation. Growing demand is only part of the challenge faced by employers. A pipeline of abundant talent is also scarce given specific qualifications required for cyber security–like security clearance and minimum years of industry experience.

Substantial investments in preparing a skilled workforce are being made in the region to address this imminent growth. Montgomery Community College, as the lead college of a consortium of Maryland community colleges, has been awarded a $15 million TAACCCT grant to support cyber-technology workforce development. Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance 2-Year Education (CAE2Y) by the National Security Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The panel evaluated and discussed the current cyber security landscape, the restrictions that cause the talent gap, alternatives for building a stronger pipeline, and considerations in creating a diverse pipeline of local talent to fill immediate and future need. The conversation included a strong emphasis on the importance of all leaders working together as a team towards the creation of an evolved workforce.

“I am heartened by the diversity of the people in this room. We need to recognize that we all have a very important role to play,” said Jason Green, Per Scholas advisory board member and co-founder of SkillSmart, a technology venture designed to match job seekers to employment opportunities based on skills. “It’s not an opportunity, it’s a requirement. We can’t address the significant challenge ahead unless we work together.

Panelists included moderator Mark Shaw from ManTech International, the region’s largest cyber security employer; Mike Knapp, Skillsmart; Charles Britt, Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA); Richard Hill, Accenture; Renee Forney, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Kelley Bray, Symantec; Steve Silverman, Department of Economic Development, Montgomery County; and Bridgette Gray, Per Scholas. Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Navarro made opening remarks. Representatives from the offices of U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski and U.S. Congressman Chris Van Hollen were in attendance.

“Today was a breath of fresh air,” says Bridgette Gray, Managing Director for Per Scholas National Capital Region. “Often, we’re trying to resolve regional challenges in our own silos. Today, we began the process of breaking down these silos. To address regional issues, we must erase jurisdictional lines by bringing all
players across the region to the table; there’s a place for everyone. In all of our markets, Per Scholas strives to meet the specific demands of regional employers through our IT training. It takes strong partnerships to make that happen. We are happy to take the lead in building out this task force with all of our partners.”

Per Scholas recently established partnerships with private company Doran Jones to build a talent pipeline of software testers, and a middle-skill training with the City of New York community college system. A similar approach will be taken toward cyber security opportunities in the National Capital Region.

The Per Scholas rapid re-employment training approach provides immediate relief for IT workforce demand. Its core entry-level training IT-Ready is only 8 weeks, allowing graduates to quickly fill available positions. And Per Scholas has the employer partners to bridge job seekers to jobs. IT-Ready training is an onramp to entry-level jobs, then the potential for continued education and skill advancement through established cyber programs at postsecondary institutions. Per Scholas opened in the National Capital Region in early 2014. The Per Scholas approach has been recognized as additive to existing efforts by leaders in business, government and education. Today’s panel is a joint effort to address regional cyber workforce demand.

“I partnered with Per Scholas because building an experienced pool of cyber security professionals is a regional challenge that requires a regional solution. As a national leader in developing collaborative partnerships to address workforce development needs, Northern Virginia Community College stands ready to lend its experience in this partnership to creating a sustainable pipeline of cyber security talent in the Greater Washington region.” Charles Britt, STEM Coordinator, Northern Virginia Community College.

Following today’s panel, Per Scholas will convene the task force to begin building a blueprint for the cyber security workforce. Those interested in contributing ideas, jobs, data, funding and leadership may contact Bridgette Gray at bgray@perscholas.org. A special thank you to the advisory board members Barbara Ebel, Charles Britt, Ed Glabus and Jason Green, who made today possible.

September 11, 2014 marked the inaugural golf fundraiser in Columbus and proved that supporting Per Scholas is not just about impacting our work and students, but is a whole lot of fun.

The event raised $10,000 to support Per Scholas’ continuing growth in Columbus where more than 130 low-income and unemployed residents have been trained to date for family-sustaining careers in technology, like current featured student of the month Kevin Gamble. Ten teams participated in the scramble with representation from sponsors Nationwide, HMB, Lightwell and Centric Consulting, joined by corporate teams Navigator, ViaQuest, TEKsystems, and LeadingEDJE. The competition proved fierce, with golfers vying to win the scramble and three additional competitions. Congrats to Team Lightwell for winning the Scramble! The list of other challenge winners are:

• Longest Drive: Mike Pugh, Centric Consulting
• Closest to the Pin: Thad Leemaster, HMB
• Longest Putt: Justin Wang, Nationwide

Competition aside, the highlight for the golfers was the attendance by the star guests: current and former students of Per Scholas IT-Ready training. With 40 golfers in attendance, Advisory Council Chair Joe Ours of Centric Consulting shared, “It was a great day of golf, and what an opportunity for our corporate supporters to meet some of the individuals benefiting from their investment in the Per Scholas job training.”

The feeling was mutual among the students. “It’s one thing for people to hear about graduates getting jobs. It’s even better for them to hear it directly. The golfers had lots of questions about Per Scholas, and were very excited to hear that I’d graduated and landed a job,” shared Chris Ferguson, graduate and brand new employee of JPMorgan Chase. “I was laid off in April 2013 and it was hard to get back into the workforce until Per Scholas. The program prepared me not only for the technical side of the job but made me comfortable going into the interview. I feel well prepared to start at JPMorgan Chase on Monday and I’m looking forward to it.”

“The synergy between past and present students and our supporters today was amazing. My heart really felt like it was going to bust because the golfers were here to support us, and we were here to help them enjoy the day. I have never been around an organization that works so hard for me, for my success and for my future. I’m determined and ready to take my career to the next level because of Per Scholas,” said Debra White, a current IT-Ready student volunteering her time at the event.

Andrea Applegate and Plinio Ayala

President and CEO of Per Scholas, Plinio Ayala, was in attendance for the big event alongside Managing Director Andrea Applegate. Both express that the support of our inaugural fundraiser proved the sky’s the limit for progress in Columbus. It promises to be an even bigger event next year.

A big thank you to our advisory council members who played invaluable roles in planning: Joe Ours, Bruce Zion, and our leader in planning, Dave Cherry. Their support out the gate is the reason why we are celebrating this success. Endless thanks again to our sponsors, supporters, and to the Oakhaven Golf Club for hosting the event. We look forward to next year.

See all the pictures from the event here. Donate, volunteer, hire a graduate, get involved and help us continue to change lives through our high-impact work.

What began as an invitation for a student story quickly turned into more than Tiffany Lewin ever thought possible: being interviewed by Chelsea Clinton in front of 1,000 people, the whole Clinton family included. Queue the goose-bumps–and not just Tiffany’s. Everybody at Per Scholas, too. Her first time flying, Tiffany took off for Denver along with Per Scholas Executive Director of New York, Angie Kamath, and took the stage the second day of the meeting.

Tiffany contributed one-of-a-kind insight to the elite panel where she was joined by a CEO of a global company, a President of a college, a U.S. Secretary, and a founder of a local nonprofit. She was the sole representative on the stage speaking from a lens that always doesn’t get the spotlight: a young adult who was hungry for an opportunity and guidance. Tiffany came to Per Scholas at the age of 19 with no work experience, no income, no pathway to higher-ed and no outside guidance to change her path. She graduated from the Per Scholas IT training and by 20 landed her first job ever as a Hardware and Systems Analyst at New York-Presbyterian. Now, nearly three years later, she’s moved up in her responsibilities and now manages others. Her voice on that stage was all the more important because she also represents a population that makes up only 5% of the tech industry – a minority woman. We have a lot to learn from her.

Following her stage time with Chelsea, Tiffany has been on the ride of her life.

Per Scholas hosted its first of what will be a series of Women in Tech events June 24 in NYC hosted by corporate partner PIMCO. Sixty professionals and graduates from the IT industry gathered. Why? To get more women in tech. Specifically women of color who represent less than 10% of the IT workforce. Per Scholas has committed to a gender equal student body by 2016.

Here are some stats on what we are trying to change:

Today

• Women are earning less than 20% of computer and information science degrees
• Women comprise less than 30% of tech workforce, and women of color comprise less than 10% of the tech workforce
• Women leave the private sector tech workforce at twice the rate of their male peers

Good news – we can change this

• Carnegie Mellon went from less than 30% female CS majors in 2012 to 40% female CS majors in 2014
• In 2013, 60% of new tech positions were filled by women
• Companies like Google, LinkedIn, Yahoo and others agree that lack of diversity in tech is a problem and are committed to working toward solutions
• And of course, we are actively working to change this at Per Scholas

Here’s what we’re doing at Per Scholas

• Free training and job placement for entry-level and mid-level IT occupations, both co-ed and women’s only classes
• Graduated 146 women since 2012
• More than half are currently employed making average of $16.36 per hour
• 89% of women graduates were women of color
• Increased women student enrollment from 20% to 30%, and are planning to enroll 50% by 2016
• Semi-annual networking events
• Mentoring program to directly address the confidence gap
• A new advisory council to help us meet our goals (enrollment, awareness, employment, and hosting additional events) in partnership with the New York Women’s Foundation
• Endless inspiring success stories

How you can help

• Keep attending these events or host one of your own in NYC, D.C., Cincinnati, and Columbus – form a community
• Become a mentor
• Join our new advisory council
• Connect us to other community organizations so we may serve more women
• Contact Sara Barnaby to sign up and learn more

Our graduates and industry volunteers are an inspiration to making sure we meet our goals to empower many more women. We hope you will join us. Thanks to PIMCO for joining our effort as well as our anchor supporters New York Women’s Foundation, Fifth & Pacific Foundation, and SAP.

Last night, June 12, Per Scholas honored three outstanding partners whose contributions of time and talent, employment opportunities, funding, vision and leadership have played a key role in creating bright futures for our graduates.

More than 250 of our closest industry leaders and supporters mingled with many of Per Scholas’ accomplished alumni–namely featured speakers of the night Greg Lee, Tristan Delgado and keynote speaker Shannon Branch–at the Grand Hyatt Hotel for the third annual ROI dinner. It was a night of fun, food, inspiration, and Mariachi music provided by the all-female group Flor de Toloache.

We were honored to celebrate the contributions of Barclays and Keith Klain, whose ingenuity and generosity built the Per Scholas Software Testing Education Program (STEP) last year. As a direct result, close to 100 students have completed STEP training, with graduates earning average salaries o $36,000. The final honoree of the night, IT consulting firm Doran Jones, saw promise in Mr. Klain’s vision of a software testing center in the Bronx. Now, Doran Jones is Per Scholas’ private-sector partner on our software testing job creation initiative. Doran Jones will operate the new Urban Development Center (UDC), co-located at Per Scholas’ headquarters in the South Bronx, and provide software testing to its clients. We look forward to seeing 150 Per Scholas STEP graduates employed at the UDC over the next 18 months. An incredible commitment.

The message was repeated many times in the night. We could not do any of this without the support of those who support and inspire us, our corporate partners. Special thanks to our sponsors, including Barclays, Bloomberg, the Creating IT Futures Foundation, Dell, Doran Jones, JPMorgan Chase, High Point Solutions, NYSE-Euronext, Prudential, and generous donors Con Edison, Control Group, EMC, and Vicom.

Thanks to the generosity of our attendees, the ROI Corporate Dinner was just as much about looking forward as it was about celebrating our past successes. A quarter of a million dollars was raised through the generosity of our sponsors and individual guests, to go towards our students like Shannon, Greg and Tristan, who have ended cycles of poverty and unemployment through access to Per Scholas’ technology education and job services.

In giving the final award of the night, the Innovator of the Year award to Doran Jones, Per Scholas Executive Director Angie Kamath expressed: “Leadership takes vision, a bit of risk-taking, and an ability to dream beyond what is directly in front of you.” We are so lucky to have partners that step up to that tall order to allow us to continue growing and provide life-changing opportunities for our incredible, deserving students.

Pencil in ROI 2015 and continue to support the important work of Per Scholas and spread the word to others. There are many ways to help us rebuild communities. Volunteer your time to a student, be part of expanding the UDC, help us enter new cities across the country, make a personal gift, hire a graduate, or join an advisory or board role. With your contributions, Per Scholas will continue to grow.

“It is a real joy to be around Per Scholas staff and alumni – we seem to be a real happy group.” That was a parting comment from a Per Scholas Cincinnati alumna who attended the Per Scholas National Capital Region grand opening on April 22. She was one of many (happy) special guests.

Per Scholas could not be more excited for its fourth and newest site in Silver Spring, Maryland, serving the surrounding National Capital Region with IT-Ready training. The grand opening event took place April 22 with the presence of Acting Assistant Secretary Eric Seleznow, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; President and CEO Msgr. Rev. John Enzler of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington; Leonard Howie, Secretary of Labor, Licensing and Regulation for the State of Maryland; Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett; Ed Glabus of ManTech International Corporation, representation from Congressman Chris Van Hollen’s office — and many others.

The event began with a roundtable discussion with Assistant Secretary Seleznow and five IT-Ready graduates – one from each IT-Ready operation, New York, Columbus, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, and a current student from Silver Spring. They were joined by President and CEO of Per Scholas, Plinio Ayala, CEO of Creating IT Futures Foundation, Charles Eaton, and Father John of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington.

“I worked for 18 years as a computer programmer. I was laid off and unemployed for nearly three years. I used up my pension, my savings, my unemployment. My family and I were surviving on credit cards when I found Per Scholas,” shared one graduate who is a mother of three. She is now working full-time as an IT consultant with ComResource at Nationwide.

“I was laid off after working for a company for many years. I couldn’t even get a job at the local hardware store. After Per Scholas, I now work for HealthPartners and make enough to not have to worry anymore for my kids. Simple things like going to the grocery store stress free about paying the bill is such a huge relief,” another graduate shared with the guests and peers.

Assistant Secretary Seleznow listened with his undivided attention. “I hear stories all across the country like yours – hard working people with great skills and attitudes that just need a little bit of assistance and an opportunity to succeed. You have done that! I am happy to say we have a President and Vice President in the White House right now that are listening to these concerns and have made it a priority to respond to need and support innovative job driven solutions like Per Scholas. Thank you for sharing with me today.”

After additional guests arrived, the roundtable was followed by a program with remarks from Per Scholas and partner leadership, local government officials and employers. The message was clear: the need for Per Scholas is abundant, both in the communities we serve and among employers.

“We consistently have 100-200 open jobs in IT and Cyber.” Ed Glabus of ManTech International Corporation shared in his speech to the audience at the inaugural event. “These jobs will not stop growing, the workforce will never catch up to the demand. That’s why programs like Per Scholas are a great solution and that is why I’m here today.”

Catholic Charities Per Scholas

The first class is now in session with 15 students at its permanent location at 700 Roeder Road. The class will graduate May 23. The celebration was held to introduce and highlight Per Scholas and the IT-Ready program – a free 8-week job training course providing high quality hands-on technical skills learning and professional soft skills development to unemployed and underemployed individuals. The course teaches to the CompTIA A+ certification, which prepares candidates for entry-level help-desk and technical support roles. The Per Scholas model has been proven successful through independent studies, triggering its growth into new markets. In its first year, 80 students drawn from the National Capital Region will be trained in Silver Spring. Historically, 85 percent of Per Scholas participants graduate and obtain industry certification and 75 percent of graduates land jobs.

Even among these prestigious guests, the stars of the event were obvious among everyone — the 15 Per Scholas students. Each individually gave personal guided tours through the space to each guest, provided photography services of the event, presented in front of the crowd at the podium, and, most proudly, networked, networked, networked. They looked sharp, were incredibly kind and personable, and Per Scholas could not be more proud of these newest members to our growing family.

Bridgette Gray

Per Scholas extends its deepest thanks to the guest speakers, its supporters Creating IT Futures Foundation, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, and the Community Foundation of Montgomery County, and the Silver Spring community for a very warm welcome.

We look forward to engaging with local partners and employers. The takeaway message from Managing Director Bridgette Gray of Per Scholas Silver Spring is clear: “Hire our graduates. And if you can’t, then introduce Per Scholas to a person who can.”

Four accomplished technologists from a federal intelligence agency, NYC government, a leading philanthropic foundation, and the fashion house of Dolce & Gabbana- we could not have asked for more diversity in terms of the companies that were represented at the IT Panel at Per Scholas yesterday. However, there was a more powerful and striking commonality amongst our 4 speakers: they were all women, and all women of color. The 40 female Per Scholas students who attended were inspired, wowed, and simply excited to see strong powerful women make it in IT – and importantly these 4 professionals came from the same communities in many cases as our students.

The advice flowed for 2 hours and if our guest speakers did not have to leave, I am pretty certain they could have held a captive audience for another 2 hours! Hearing about the experiences of being a women in a male dominated industry was honest and a good eye opener for our women in tech students. While the entire session was compelling and chock full of advice here are a few of the reflections that resonated with me include:

1. Be tough, be prepared, and expect to be held under greater scrutiny simply because you are a woman.
2. 75% of being an IT professional is research – know how and from whom to find out new information. Always self study and use every tool and mentor you can.
3. Always keep your hand up – offer to help on anything to advance in your career. Mentors and sponsors will notice you and will help.
4. Find the smartest person in your area of interest and make it your business to meet and learn from them regularly.
5. Network! Network! Network! Get to the point in your career when you don’t need to apply for jobs formally, but rather you get tapped for new positions because of your reputation and work ethic.
6. Don’t cry. Ever. And if you are so frustrated or upset and you need to – get yourself to a private spot or the bathroom ASAP! (Or “pretend you poked yourself in the eye by accident”!)

Great advice, and advice backed by experience. And why might our students listen and take heed? Because these same guest speakers who are on top of their games professionally, have had their share of personal challenges and growth opportunities. The speakers candidly shared their stories – whether it was about starting out as a secretary, being out of work for years, being homeless for 2 years, or giving up the chance to go to college to care for her children. And they shared and held these experiences with pride – because they never let anything get in their way. They resolved to not accept their realities and to be smart and creative and ambitious to change their path. That is courage and perseverance up close and personal.

For those of us in the room yesterday – we shared in a powerful moment together. Seeing strong, brave, accomplished women guide and share their stories to a new crop of future technologists was one of those moments that no one in the room will forget for years to come. You can view the pictures from the panel by clicking here.