This month, Per Scholas’s AWS re/Start cohort launched in a new market in Seattle and also graduated more than 100 learners in multiple cities that are now ready to enter the tech industry with new, in-demand skills. Our graduation featured a keynote address from Amazon Web Services’ Principal Solutions Architect, Mojgan Ahmadi and celebrated our learners from our Chicago, National Capital Region (NCR), Cincinnati, New York, Newark, and Boston campuses. 

In her keynote address, Mojgan Ahmadi mentioned that in technology, there are so many opportunities, but with Per Scholas’ AWS re/Start training, our graduates are prepared for success. “Set a goal and work towards that. In technology, you have to continue to study and stay on top of your game,” Ahmadi reflected. “With this education that you have been given, you have all the tools in order to achieve success.” 

Shortly after our AWS re/Start graduation, we launched our inaugural cohort in Seattle, where Amazon has a location, including the Amazon Skills Center, where our learners are encouraged to study and advance their tech skills. Prior to the launch, Amazon hosted a kick-off event to introduce our learners to the Seattle Skills Center and encourage the use of any future classes. The event also featured a tour of the Skills Center and a time for our learners to network and become familiar with all Amazon Web Services has to offer. “Per Scholas is extremely proud of our partnership with AWS and we look forward to additional opportunities to help our learners build valuable cloud computing skills,” reflected Brian McRae, Per Scholas Seattle Site Director. “The recent event at the Skills Center has further ignited our learners’ passion and enthusiasm for the AWS re/start program.  It now feels real to them and I cannot wait to see them progress over these 15 weeks with their AWS Cloud Practitioner certifications in hand.”

The inaugural Seattle cohort had a full capacity of twenty learners eager to advance their careers in technology and will end in October. To learn more about our AWS re/Start cohorts and see our upcoming start dates and locations, click here! 

Per Scholas is thrilled to announce that we are part of the inaugural cohort of organizations to receive a grant from the Clayton Dubilier & Rice Foundation! We have been identified as one of Clayton Dubilier & Rice‘s Talent Solution Partners (“TSP”), aligning with the Foundation’s goal of supporting “Equity through Opportunity” by offering traditionally underrepresented talent in CD&R’s local communities access to job training, high-quality jobs, and ongoing professional development opportunities throughout their career journey.

This grant is awarded specifically to strengthen the equity, growth, skills, and workforce development systems in New York City. “Over the past 44 years, CD&R has built a reputation for driving positive impact and innovation throughout our portfolio and in our local communities,” said Don Gogel, Chairman of both CD&R and the CD&R Foundation. “The CD&R Foundation meaningfully expands these efforts, and we look forward to working with our TSPs to move the needle on inclusive employment and advancement practices.”

Click here to learn more about this inaugural partnership!

On June 8th, Per Scholas President and CEO, Plinio Ayala, spoke at the Social Innovation Summit in a Comcast NBCUniversal led panel discussion. Held in Washington, D.C. The Social Innovation Summit is a global social impact community whose events strive to bring together “the greatest innovators, changemakers, wayward thinkers, and black swans to come together to make real and lasting change towards social good.” Participants take part in discussions, debates, and networking opportunities to promote important ideas and work towards bringing about positive social change.

The two-day event featured numerous speakers, followed by a series of breakout room discussion sessions. Plinio was one of the featured speakers in the first breakout session of the second day. The 45-minute session, entitled “Driving Economic Mobility Through Digital Equity,” consisted of individual introductions followed by a series of questions intended to spark conversation amongst the speakers. The floor was then opened to questions from the audience, to promote audience participation.

Plinio’s fellow breakout session speakers included Michael Ellison, Co-Founder and CEO of CodePath.org, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that brings together employers, students, and colleges to eliminate inequities in technical education and recruiting, and Dwana Franklin-Davis, Chief Executive Officer of Reboot Representation, a Tech Coalition dedicated to closing the gender gap in tech by doubling the number of Black, Latinx, and Native American women earning bachelor’s degrees in computing by 2025. Their session was moderated by Gwyneth Gaul, Associate Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Community Impact at Comcast NBCUniversal.

The attendees discussed a variety of topics, including the shift to virtual learning during the pandemic, the role of innovation in each organization’s mission, each organization’s approach to partnership and collaboration, strategies to ensure that the economic mobility that digital equity provides remains sustainable in a rapidly changing world, and individual advice for potential funders evaluating digital equity. 

“There will be hundreds of thousands of jobs appearing in tech over the next few years that we can’t imagine right now,” Plinio told attendees. “At Per Scholas, we feel a strong sense of urgency, because the entry point is constantly moving. We provide the necessary tech training to ensure diverse, resilient people of color can get access to digital careers and take advantage of thriving wage opportunities.”

Per Scholas is thrilled to announce that we are the recipients of an extended grant from the NFL’s Inspire Change initiative! The grant will cover the next two years in the amount of $500,000. We are one of 21 partners to receive renewed funding from the NFL.

With the grant, Per Scholas will enroll over 6,000 people of color into immersive, cohort-based, tuition-free tech training courses over the next two years. Graduates are equipped with technical and professional skills that prepare them to succeed in high-growth technology careers. Per Scholas connects its graduates to robust employer networks, providing all graduates with access to employment opportunities ranging from Fortune 500 companies to innovative start-ups. Per Scholas continues to be committed to advancing economic mobility and DEI&B across our communities.

View the full press release from the NFL here. 

On May 10th, Per Scholas partnered with LaunchCode, another tech education nonprofit, to hold a panel discussion about the future of building inclusive workplaces in Philadelphia. The event, “The Journey Ahead: Making Meaningful Change in the Diversity of Philadelphia Tech,” was held at the city’s University City Science Center, and was moderated by local DEIB strategist Alia Sutton-Bey.

Before the panel, attendees were welcomed and addressed by Phil Brooks, Workforce Development Director at the University City Science Center, Keighan Gunther, Assistant Vice President at LaunchCode, and Nikki Pumphrey, Managing Director at Per Scholas Philadelphia.

“At Per Scholas, we know that access to opportunity is not equal,” Nikki told the audience. “From the steadily increasing racial wealth gap in our city, to the ways in which the pandemic has affected women of color, significant challenges stand in our way for us to see and achieve an equitable and inclusive workforce here in our city. It’s not enough to just increase access. The real work starts when organizations make commitments that go beyond hiring; when they start implementing practices like pay equity, advancement, and culture change. That is why Per Scholas is committed to partnerships that advance opportunities for our graduates, who are the future of Philadelphia’s diverse tech workforce.”

The panel convened a diverse group of industry leaders in tech, human resources, and social services, including Ashley Chance, a Board Member with Blacks in Tech Philly and former Senior Diversity Talent Sourcer; Danita Jones, Director of HR at Family Practice and Counseling Network and President of the National Association of African Americans in HR; Janine Galen, Program Manager of Strategic Workforce Planning at Vanguard; Marcus Smith, STEM and CTE Coordinator at Mastery Charter Schools; and Senzwa Ntshepe, Co-Founder of both Edclusion and Elivade. 

Panelists discussed ways to promote opportunity for Philadelphia residents, create a more diverse and inclusive talent pipeline, support and promote Philadelphia’s economic development, and ultimately connect the community with companies to build inclusive workplaces, reimagine and transform business lines, and create a diverse workforce that addresses persistent intergenerational gaps in wealth and opportunity.

This month, Per Scholas President and CEO Plinio Ayala was part of a LinkedIn Live discussion, Solving the Tech Talent Problem, with Bob Goodwin, Founder of Career Club. The event focused on the growing lack of tech talent for an abundance of available tech positions and how Per Scholas is solving the tech talent problem through our cost-free tech training and partnerships with industry-leading employers. 

Bob Goodwin, who also sits on the Advisory Board for Per Scholas Cincinnati, moderated the conversation and interviewed Plinio on the history of Per Scholas and our ability to pivot and grow in an ever-changing industry, moving from 100 individuals enrolled to the pathway to training 10,000. “We’re in an ever-changing business and our learners bring in-demand skills and continue to upskill themselves to remain relevant in the industry,” Plinio reflected. “We prepare our learners with career coaching and development skills so they are well-rounded individuals for employers.” 

In regards to how Per Scholas is solving the tech talent problem, we turn to our partners and the support we have with them to develop training tracks specific to their industry and business needs. “Companies can partner with an organization like Per Scholas so we can construct training specific to them and their job needs to obtain talent that is skilled for them,” Plinio mentioned. “You don’t need a degree to be successful, and these companies’ mindsets and approaches are shifting now to a different perspective. Per Scholas’s training is a way to redefine secondary education and a way to get corporations seeking talent to look at our learners through a different lens.”

Plinio reflected that Per Scholas’ training is a triple win: learners win by launching their careers in tech, employers win with great talent tailored to fit their business needs, and the economy wins with more citizens contributing to the economy. 

Additionally, Goodwin touched on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and how Per Scholas is contributing to DEIB for employers.  “A more diverse staff lends to a stronger workforce, and creating a diverse workforce based on local demand is creating a consistent pipeline employers can depend on,” Plinio discussed. “Benefits of drawing from a diverse talent pool include that our learners are an immediate return for employers. The retention rates are higher as with Per Scholas graduates, with 50% more likely to stay with their company. Our graduates also hit the ground running because they are fully equipped with skills needed for work straight out of our training.”

Click here to watch the full LinkedIn Live event!

As the saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas, including our footprint on tech training in the Dallas area. Since 2015, Per Scholas Dallas has prepared more than 1,200 individuals for a career in tech with our tuition-free tech training, with training tracks in IT Support, Cybersecurity, AWS re/Start, and Software Engineering. Our training equips learners not only with technical skills, but also the soft skills needed to secure a job and advance in the industry, through mock interviews, professional development, and resume writing training, as well as support and coaching from MSW-accredited Learner Support Managers and Financial Coaches.

Our expansion across the broader Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex has been made possible by our generous funding partner, The BlackRock Foundation, who has collaborated with Per Scholas Dallas to focus on extending beyond Dallas County. Dallas is one of the nation’s top tech hubs, but there’s a massive talent gap that’s leaving scores of tech jobs vacant. That’s where Per Scholas Dallas comes in – training hundreds of diverse technologists in the skills needed for today’s tech jobs and helping those skilled technologists launch high-growth careers in tech.

The BlackRock Foundation is contributing $5M over the next three years to help Per Scholas expand in six states, including Texas. A portion of the grant is dedicated to supporting our operations in Dallas, enabling Per Scholas to nearly double our impact in Dallas in 2022 compared to the prior year. The grant marks The BlackRock Foundation’s first major investment into job training in Texas.

The BlackRock Foundation’s support will enable Per Scholas to enroll nearly 800 additional learners into a variety of tech courses offered by our Dallas campus through 2023 and grow our footprint in North Texas by expanding remote training courses for individuals in neighboring counties. First up are Collin and Tarrant counties, where access to rigorous tech training is low, but local tech talent demand is high.

Such significant support from The BlackRock Foundation is enabling Per Scholas Dallas to continue preparing our learners for a successful career in technology. “Texas is a melting pot of diversity, multiculturalism, and more,” shared Ciara Owens, Sr. Manager of Recruitment and Admissions. “We’ve had much success connecting many learners across counties and thanks to committed funders like The BlackRock Foundation, we will continue to warmly welcome those from Tarrant County, Collin County, and other surrounding areas to be a part of a major movement in the industry of tech, and that movement starts here at Per Scholas Dallas.”

To learn more about Per Scholas Dallas’ upcoming training tracks, click here!

Per Scholas was recently recognized in the NYCHA Journal for its work in helping NYCHA residents launch successful careers in the tech field. Tech51 has partnered with NYCHA’s Office of Resident Economic Empowerment and Sustainability (REES) since 2017 to support residents who are interested in tech careers but have been unable to access training and job placement support.

Tech51 places interested NYCHA residents with either Per Scholas or Pursuit, another workforce training organization. Nearly 270 NYCHA residents have now completed the Tech51 training, with the majority of graduates getting placed in IT-related jobs.

“Tech51 is an excellent entry point for NYCHA residents seeking info on various tech pathways,” said Josephine Melendez, Assistant Director for Adult Education and Training at REES. “This initiative gives both entry-level applicants, as well as those seeking to switch careers, the opportunity to hear firsthand from viable tech training partners. NYCHA REES has been at the forefront of this collaborative effort and looks forward to engaging more residents to consider this expanding industry.”

This article also features Per Scholas graduates Matthew Cespedes and Sam M’Backe, who have both been able to launch successful IT careers after completion of Per Scholas training.

Read the full article featuring Per Scholas here.

Per Scholas President and CEO Plinio Ayala has been named to the Aspen Institute Latinos and Society Program’s Task Force. This task force was formed to address Latino Digital Success across the country.  Plinio Ayala is sitting on the task force with key leaders from our Champion Partners, Google and JPMorgan Chase. One Co-chair includes Hector Mujica, Head of Economic Opportunity for the Americas at Google.org, and fellow task force member Parag Mehta, Managing Director & President at JPMorgan Chase.

In June, the task force will host a roundtable discussion on principles for Digital Success and strategies to inspire action by companies, workforce organizations, and elected officials to better support the Latino community.

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. To learn more about the digital success initiative with the task force, read the full press release here.

Per Scholas was recognized as one of 10 new members of Mass Technology Leadership Council (MassTLC), the region’s leading technology association and network for tech executives, entrepreneurs, investors and policy leaders.

MassTLC’s mission is to accelerate innovation, growth, and the development of an inclusive tech ecosystem in Massachusetts…by connecting people from across the technology landscape, providing access to industry-leading content and ideas, and offering a platform for our members to advance their collective interests.

We are honored and excited to become a new member of the Council as we continue to bring positive change to Massachusetts and beyond!

See Per Scholas’ feature here.