A Dream an Ocean Over

The seventh of nine children, Alexander grew up in Africa where he and his siblings all shared responsibilities around the house. He enjoyed learning and was the first in his family to go to college. He studied education at the University of Malawi and taught geography as a high school teacher for several years. However, what he made as a teacher was not enough even though he continued to provide for his family.

As the only educated member in his family, Alexander needed to support his family the best he could. To meet the financial needs he hoped, Alexander decided to look elsewhere, beyond Malawi, beyond Africa. Education was both a career and a personal interest of his so he decided to study abroad and get his master’s degree.

“I had hoped to leverage my education to better provide for my family. To do this, I dreamed of moving to the United States and excelling in my career there.”

Educational Background before IT Training

Alexander was off to start his new life in Boston, Massachusetts where he enrolled at Brandeis University. His family had pooled all of their funds together to finance his travel to America. However, his transition to the Northeast was not easy. Even with a partial scholarship, between paying for his tuition and living expenses, he could no longer afford school and had to drop out.

Hoping to still complete his degree, he moved to Texas to live with a distant relative and enrolled at Dallas Baptist University. After one semester, he could no longer support himself nor send funds back home to his family. Once again, Alexander withdrew from college and immediately began looking for a full-time job.

A Tech Genesis

For a time, Alexander worked at a local nursing home that paid $10/hour. It was barely enough to afford his basic living expenses. Although he stayed with his relative, he still needed to pay his share of rent. While attending a local church he came across a flyer for Per Scholas Dallas and their free IT certification training. Alexander always had an interest in technology. Back home in Malawi, he and his brother dabbled with operating a small computer repair business providing computer technical support to locals. The business still operates to this day!

He was skeptical about the absolutely free training offered by Per Scholas as per the flyer. “I have been paying a lot of money for education and you’re telling me that someone is going to give me IT training for free?” Fortunately, the person who placed the flyer was both a member of the church and an alum of Per Scholas. They encouraged him to attend an upcoming information session for IT Support training.

Alexander held off applying in order to build up his savings to finance himself throughout the ten weeks of training. “If I was going to do this, I wanted to make sure that I had all the support I needed. That meant quitting my job and focus only on my training. I was still paying back a loan for the semester I attended in Boston.”

At times it was challenging, especially when taking public transportation. To get to class, Alexander needed to take a 15-minute bus ride which took him to a train station where he had to travel 45 minutes to the Dallas metro area. “Students were expected to adhere to the strict attendance policy, so I had to wake up very early to make sure I was on time.” Sometimes Alexander stayed late to work with his peers to finish assignments, but for him, it was worth it!

After passing his CompTIA A+ certification exam, he was ready to find a job. He uploaded his resume whenever he could, attending networking events to get his name out in the job market. Still, there were no offers forthcoming. “It tested the best of me. I was interviewing and getting calls, but no job.”

Capital Gain

A month after graduating, Alexander was called in to interview at Capital One. He was selected among 20 other applicants for a contract position. Six months into the role, he was brought on board as a full-time associate working as Senior Coordinator for Help Desk Support where he currently trains and helps to onboard new hires.

“I am grateful for my experience at Per Scholas Dallas. I am able to envision a professional future for myself. I’m proud to be an alum because I also get to see other students come out of the training and find career success. Even here at Capital One, on a different team, there is another Per Scholas graduate who started out as a team leader and was soon promoted to principal coordinator. That only speaks to the caliber of the training we received from Per Scholas. We do our best, but Per Scholas is what helped us to realize and maximize our potential.”

Alex currently works at Capital One as a Senior Coordinator for Help Desk Support and continues to learn more about the field and progress his skill sets. To learn more about our IT Support course and other course offerings, visit our apply page.

Thank you for believing in Per Scholas’ mission to help individuals from often overlooked communities launch successful careers in technology. We look forward to working with every one of you to create more opportunities for our students in 2018.

Wishing all of our supporters a very happy holiday and new year.

If you are interested in further supporting Per Scholas’ mission this holiday season, please visit perscholas.org/donate. If interested in volunteering with Per Scholas, please contact Giselle Jacquez at gjaquez@perscholas.org.

New York, NY (May 5, 2017) – JPMorgan Chase & Co. today announced a $6 million commitment to expand young people’s access to economic opportunity in the South Bronx. As growing industries in the city require a more skilled workforce, this initiative will establish an innovative system that connects career and technical education schools in the South Bronx to key employers in New York City. The investment will help drive change and is designed to increase dramatically the number of young people graduating from South Bronx high schools with opportunities to secure well-paying, high-demand jobs.

While the unemployment rate in the Bronx is below six percent for the first time, more than four in 10 South Bronx residents do not have a high school diploma and 23 percent of young people are out of school and out of work. This has pushed half of employed young people into low-paying jobs that limit their financial futures.

With JPMorgan Chase’s investment from its New Skills for Youth initiative, more young people in the South Bronx will be able to secure the necessary education and training to secure middle skill jobs in three growing industries: transportation, distribution and logistics; healthcare; and information technology. Middle skills jobs require more education and training than a high school diploma but less than a four-year college degree. Whether they go right into a job or onto post-secondary education or training, young people who enter these pathways will be prepared for success in today’s economy.

“The lack of economic opportunity for young people in the South Bronx is a moral and economic crisis,” said Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Chase. “Our investment supports the missing link between a successful education and career: businesses and educators working together to help students succeed. This investment will give young people access to jobs that offer good wages and the chance to move up the economic ladder.”

“We have to make sure our young people are leaving school with the skills they need to enter the workforce, so that they can get a good job that offers a solid foundation for building a career and future in The Bronx,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “The number of skilled workers we’ll need is only going to grow, and this investment from JPMorgan Chase is going to significantly help bridge the gap between schools and the in-demand workforce.”

Well-Paying, High Demand Jobs are Available

In New York City, there are an estimated 26,000 well-paying jobs in the transportation, distribution and logistics sector that are attainable by people without a bachelor’s degree but who have received some education or training beyond a high school diploma. Jobs in this sector, such as engine repairers, sales and services positions and drivers at the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, MTA Operations and Maintenance Facilities and private sector bus and truck depots, are projected to grow by 10 percent by 2022, including about 3,500 positions in the Bronx. Entry level workers can start at $45,000 and move up to over $100,000 after a few years of experience.

Investment Overview

To build a new system that connects employers and South Bronx career and technical education programs, JPMorgan Chase’s $6 million investment will focus on three key innovations including:

• Support intermediaries in growing industries vital to the NYC economy to increase employer engagement and commitments to career education, support school and system level capacity and pathway development in three sectors: healthcare; information technology; and transportation, distribution and logistics.
• Build a new apprenticeship model that will lead to more registered apprenticeship opportunities in the South Bronx with a “leave behind” sustainable apprenticeship pathway in transportation distribution and logistics.
• Support the development of a high quality data system to measure and track the expansion of services and opportunities for work based learning, internships and community based efforts that match young people to career pathways.

These innovations will be led by several local organizations including:

• New Visions for Public Schools, an organization dedicated to ensuring that all New York City public school students, regardless of race or economic class, have access to a high-quality education that prepares them for the rigors of college and the workforce.
• New York Alliance for Careers in Healthcare (NYACH), one of the NYC Department of Small Business Services’ five Industry Partnerships. NYACH works to build an effective healthcare workforce development system in New York City by collaborating with healthcare employers; helping education and training organizations adapt their approach to better meet the industry’s needs; and ensuring low income and unemployed New Yorkers have access to viable career opportunities in healthcare.
• The Consortium for Worker Education, which works to advance knowledge and critical thinking, and foster research, creativity, and innovation across academic, artistic, and professional disciplines.
• Per Scholas, aiming to open doors to transformative technology careers for individuals from often overlooked communities by creating opportunity, closing the skills divide, and achieving diversity.

Through several targeted philanthropic initiatives, the firm is investing over $325 million in skills development around the world. New Skills for Youth is a $75 million, five-year effort to address the youth unemployment crisis by increasing dramatically the number of young people who complete career pathways that begin in high school and end with postsecondary degrees or credentials aligned with good-paying, high-demand jobs. New Skills at Work is a five-year, $250 million global initiative to help inform and accelerate efforts to address the mismatch between the needs of employers and the skills of job seekers. The firm also invests an additional $5.8 million effort to support summer youth employment programs around the country.

Notable Statements of Support

“In order to successfully prepare students for 21st century jobs, public schools need to cultivate strong industry and civic partnerships. JPMorgan Chase’s New Skills for Youth initiative does just that, providing skill-building opportunities for students who will most benefit from them,” said New Visions President Mark Dunetz. “At New Visions, we’re committed to designing strategies and tools that strengthen schools’ partnerships with industry and ensure students get the preparation they need for bright futures in the communities where they live.”

“The Department of Small Business Services is thrilled to expand its partnership with JPMorgan Chase,” said Small Business Services Commissioner Gregg Bishop. “It has been a strong supporter of our work in healthcare through our New York Alliance for Careers in Healthcare. Today’s students are tomorrow’s workforce and the key to a strong economy in New York City. Our businesses have an important role to play in making sure our workers have the skills and practical experience they need. This pioneering initiative will create an impactful opportunity for our students, our healthcare employers, and our communities.”

“Through our job training programs and apprenticeships we’re not only providing the type of in-demand job skills people need, we’re building the talent base employers need to grow and thrive,” said John K. McDermott, Director of Special Projects, The Consortium for Worker Education. “We’re proud to partner with JPMorgan Chase to boost workforce training and development in the South Bronx.”

“We do this work to make sure the host of talented youth in the South Bronx aren’t overlooked as a competitive workforce resource,” said Plinio Ayala, President and CEO, Per Scholas. “With support and investment from partners like JPMorgan Chase we are working to build equitable, accessible career pathways in New York’s thriving tech scene.”

The initiative is supported by funding from JPMorgan Chase and the JPMorgan Chase Fund in The New York Community Trust. As the community foundation for New York City, Westchester, and Long Island, The New York Community Trust works with individuals, families, and corporations to improve our region through strategic grant-making, civic engagement, and smart giving.

About JPMorgan Chase & Co.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.5 trillion and operations worldwide. The Firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, and asset management. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, JPMorgan Chase & Co. serves millions of consumers in the United States and many of the world’s most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under its J.P. Morgan and Chase brands. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.

Media Contact:
Stephanie Bosh, (202) 585-1382

Press Release available here.