ATLANTA, GA (July 23, 2025) — From July 10 through July 14, Per Scholas Atlanta brought together its alumni for HackJam 2025, a high-energy, multi-day coding competition designed to accelerate careers and showcase the power of alumni innovation. 

Held as part of Per Scholas’s Career Accelerator initiative, the event offered hands-on mentorship, high-level networking, and a competitive edge for participants.

This year’s HackJam featured a $1,000 grand prize, awarded to the top team after an intensive weekend of collaboration and problem-solving. Throughout the event, alumni teams received mentorship from executive engineers at CGI, helping them refine their ideas and technical execution while gaining valuable industry insight.

The competition was judged by an esteemed panel of leaders from technology and business sectors:

• Brian Turner, Senior Vice President of Consulting Services, CGI

• John Holm, Vice President of Consulting Services, CGI

• Renee Pearson, Rollins, Inc.

• Bernex Richardson, Thrive Collaborative

• Tyrone Washington, Executive Vice President of Information Technology, Per Scholas National Leadership

• Sherri Sims, Managing Director, Per Scholas Atlanta

Their expert feedback and evaluation added a powerful layer of professional relevance to the competition, with each judge bringing years of leadership and technical expertise to the table.

“HackJam is more than just a competition,” said Sherri Sims, Managing Director of Per Scholas Atlanta. “It’s a career catalyst. Our alumni walk away with new skills, stronger networks, and a deeper sense of what’s possible in tech.”

This year’s HackJam builds on the momentum of the Career Accelerator, Per Scholas’s ongoing effort to ensure graduates stay connected, supported, and equipped for long-term success in the tech industry.

Check out event highlights on LinkedIn: Here and Here.

Since launching in 2020, the Per Scholas Chicago campus has trained more than 700 learners, equipping them with critical tech skills to advance careers in IT Support and Cybersecurity. 

Today, alongside community and employer partners, colleagues, alumni, and friends, Per Scholas Chicago hosted Expanding Access to Tech Careers: A Leadership Conversation & Breakfast during Chicago Tech Week. This beautiful convening took place at the historic Willis Tower and featured insights from Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and Per Scholas Chief Executive Officer Plinio Ayala. The conversation was moderated by Dorri McWhorter, President & Chief Executive Officer, Executives’ Club of Chicago. Per Scholas Chief Operating Officer, Tamara Johnson, and Regional Senior Vice President Karla Benson Rutten were also in attendance. 

“It was an honor to gather our supporters and key stakeholders to discuss the role of high-quality training programs in building a more inclusive economy,“ said Kate Doyle, Per Scholas Chicago Managing Director.

Per Scholas Chicago acknowledges Comcast, JPMorgan Chase & Co., TEKsystems, CDW, Bank of America Foundation, and Motorola Solutions Foundation for their generous support that made this celebration possible.

With a proven tech training model including both in-person and remote learning, Per Scholas continues to unlock opportunities for individuals, strengthen communities, and drive business success across the greater Chicago area. Per Scholas Chicago is transforming lives and will continue to shape the region’s future as a thriving technology hub by equipping Per Scholas technologists with in-demand tech skills at no cost.

To learn more about Per Scholas Chicago, follow them on LinkedIn or Per Scholas Chicago.

About Per Scholas

As Per Scholas celebrates 30 years of impact, we are charting an ambitious path forward, expanding access to high-growth tech careers and fostering economic mobility nationwide. Since 1995, we’ve offered no-cost tech training to more than 30,000 technologists in the most sought-after tech skills, generating over $2 billion in increased personal earnings. On average, our learners earn 3x their pre-training wage in their first role after Per Scholas. With 20+ campuses and remote programs, we partner with employers—from Fortune 500 companies to startups—to create inclusive talent pipelines in fields like Cloud, Cybersecurity, Data Engineering, IT Support, and Software Engineering. More than half of our learners hold a high school diploma as their highest educational credential. We are building a future where successful careers in tech are accessible to everyone across urban, suburban, and rural communities, empowering individuals to unlock their potential and drive transformative economic change nationwide.

Learn more at PerScholas.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.

For over a decade, Per Scholas and Workday have teamed up to open doors to tech careers for aspiring technologists and build pathways to economic mobility for individuals nationwide. With Workday’s support, Per Scholas has grown from 5 campus locations to 24, equipping over 25,000 learners with the skills and confidence to break into high-growth tech roles.

Beyond the nearly $2M in grants provided by the Workday Foundation, Workday Workmates have volunteered hundreds of hours, offering everything from mock interviews and resume reviews to career mentoring and guidance on navigating the tech world.

This collaboration is creating real job opportunities. Workday has hired Per Scholas alumni into roles in their own IT department, demonstrating the innovation that’s possible when companies invest in skills-based talent pipelines. Together, we’re not just training people for jobs; we’re empowering individuals in communities across the country.

Per Scholas remains grateful for our partnership and Workday’s continued efforts to promote opportunity for untapped talent.

In the latest episode of DisruptED, hosted by Ron J. Stefanski and released June 27, 2025, TEKsystems leaders Faith Johnson (VP, Global HR) and John Lullen (Managing Executive, Marketplace Inclusion) joined the discussion on future-proofing the tech workforce through inclusive, non-traditional hiring avenues.

John Lullen specifically mentioned the Per Scholas partnership with TEKsystems, emphasizing how, together, we’re reshaping talent pipelines by championing training programs beyond four-year degrees and driving responsible AI integration across industries.

John noted that our work “helps individuals without traditional degrees train for in‑demand tech roles through immersive, often short‑term programs,” and praised the positive social impact we’re fostering alongside TEKsystems. This endorsement underscores our shared vision: crafting a more equitable tech landscape and empowering organizations to bridge the talent gap with innovative workforce solutions.

Listen to the podcast.

On June 23, 2025, the Atlanta Hawks, in collaboration with Stand Together, wrapped up an innovative six‑week Virtual Sales Academy designed to empower part‑time team members at State Farm Arena. Thirty‑three participants, ranging in age from 20 to 70 and without traditional sales backgrounds, completed this immersive program. Over the course of six weeks, they engaged in hands‑on training, including crafting sales scripts, managing objections, scheduling strategies, and conducting mock sales calls with Hawks sales leadership, all aimed at preparing individuals for potential careers in sports business. 

Per Scholas played a pivotal role within this model by providing nonprofit training expertise and helping to facilitate access to career‑readiness pathways. After the virtual sessions, graduates were celebrated with a special networking event held at State Farm Arena, allowing participants to connect face‑to‑face with Hawks and arena executives. 

This academy reflects the ongoing multi‑year collaboration between the Hawks, Stand Together, and Per Scholas, which champions skills‑based development and economic mobility by redirecting support toward talent often overlooked in conventional hiring channels. 

Read the full story.

Per Scholas is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with SAP, a global leader in enterprise application software and business AI, to launch a new Career Accelerator course focused on SAP technologies.  The new course will provide learners with immersive technical training tailored to the skills and roles most in demand across SAP’s partner and customer networks.

As part of this exciting collaboration, SAP will work with Per Scholas to design a new 10-week course for aspiring learners looking to advance their skills in building modern cloud-based business applications. The course offers business and technical skills to prepare learners for careers in the SAP ecosystem.

The program is part of SAP’s Educate to Employ – a global program offering tools, education and expertise to excel in the digital economy. Per Scholas was selected as an Educate to Employ partner following a rigorous process led by the Global Business Coalition for Education. After considering several skills-focused organizations, Per Scholas was chosen for its commitment to providing employable skills, its collaborative approach to corporate partnerships and strong alignment with SAP’s focus on employable skills.

“We are thrilled to partner with SAP to expand opportunities for our learners and deepen our impact in the tech workforce,” said Per Scholas CEO Plinio Ayala. “This investment is more than just financial—it’s a shared commitment to economic advancement and a recognition of the incredible potential our technologists bring to the industry.”

Per Scholas will welcome an inaugural cohort of roughly 30 learners, empowering them with the practical skills and industry-recognized credentials needed to step into fast-growing tech careers. Tailored for aspiring SAP developers, particularly Per Scholas alumni with prior programming experience, the program delivers immersive, hands-on learning in building data-driven applications, extending SAP cloud solutions, and preparing for SAP Backend Developer Associate certification. Graduates will emerge ready for roles such as SAP Backend Developer, meeting the rising demand for cloud-savvy talent across manufacturing, retail, healthcare, banking, and engineering organizations that rely on SAP technology

“We’re excited to collaborate with Per Scholas to create new connections and opportunities with SAP careers,” said Katie Booth, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, SAP Americas. “Through this partnership, we’re not only investing in skills development—we’re investing in a future-ready workforce.”

This partnership reflects Per Scholas’ continued commitment to offering a responsive, employer-driven curriculum, opening doors to tech careers for individuals across the country. With support from SAP, this new Career Accelerator course will help bridge the skills gap and create pathways to success for talented individuals ready to launch careers in enterprise technology.

Per Scholas is thrilled to be highlighted in Amazon’s recent article, How AWS has helped more than 20,000 job seekers land cloud computing jobs. 

This recognition underscores our commitment to empowering individuals from underrepresented communities through the AWS re/Start program. 

The article details how AWS re/Start, a no-cost, full-time, 12-week training initiative, has equipped over 20,000 individuals with the skills necessary for entry-level cloud computing roles. The program emphasizes hands-on learning in areas such as:

• Linux
• Python
• Networking
• Security
• Core AWS Cloud services
• And more

The program is complemented by professional development support, including resume writing and interview coaching. Graduates are then connected with potential employers, facilitating their transition into the tech industry.

At Per Scholas, we are proud to collaborate with AWS re/Start to deliver this transformative training. The article features our Atlanta cohort, highlighting the program’s real-world impact on our learners’ careers.

We invite you to read the full article to learn more about how AWS re/Start is changing lives and creating pathways to tech careers.

This month, we’re proud to celebrate a decade-long partnership with TEKsystems! Since 2015, our collaboration has trained 10,000+ learners across 12 cities.

Through this partnership, more than 1,300 Per Scholas graduates have launched careers in roles ranging from network support to full-stack development. Their combined career earnings total nearly $288 million—a testament to the transformative impact of investing in people and their potential.

“Amid our 30th anniversary, we’re honored to recognize TEKsystems as one of our longest-standing and most dedicated partners,” says Plinio Ayala. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration and deepening our resolve to cultivate exceptional talent, connect them with leading organizations, and unlock potential for generations to come.”

This milestone reflects the power of sustained partnership and shared purpose. Per Scholas is not only training talent—we’re changing lives and reshaping futures.

Read the full impact report.

New York, N.Y., May 15, 2025 — Per Scholas is bringing together leading voices in the data center industry for an engaging virtual conversation about the future of tech infrastructure and talent development. The panel, Data Centers in Demand: Workforce Trends & Talent Pipelines, featured expert insights from TEKsystems and Microsoft. 

Moderated by Brittany Murrey, Executive Vice President of Talent Solutions at Per Scholas, this timely panel explored the increasing demand for data center talent and what that means for aspiring technologists and employers alike.

Panelists included:

• Craig Curry, Microsoft, Datacenter Technician Manager
• John Lullen, TEKsystems, Managing Executive, Marketplace Inclusion
• Riley Mahler, TEKsystems Global Services, Regional Director Microsoft Account
• Jasmine Smiley, Microsoft, Regional Program Manager DC Operations Field Management

🔑 Top 3 Takeaways from the Discussion:

1. Data Centers Are Booming—But Talent Gaps Remain
   As Brittany Murrey (Per Scholas) noted, there’s a 60% growth in data center jobs since 2016, and companies are urgently seeking skilled professionals. Per Scholas is closing this gap through hands-on, industry-aligned training.
   
2. Expanding Opportunity is a Business Imperative
   Riley Mahler (TEKsystems Global Services) stated about 300,000 or so data center-oriented openings are unfilled right now, and looking ahead to a higher demand for jobs in data centers, there could be upward of 2.3 million active jobs. As Jasmine Smiley (Microsoft) and John Lullen (TEKsystems) shared, intentional hiring and workforce development are key to sustainable innovation in this space with this projected growth.
3. Career Pathways Are Real and Growing
   Per Scholas trained technologist Craig Curry (Microsoft) explained how data center training fast-tracks learners into rewarding tech careers, even those from non-technical backgrounds.

WATCH THE FULL PANEL BELOW.

With data centers continuing to play a critical role in powering global digital infrastructure, this conversation examined the evolving landscape of workforce needs, the essential skills for data center careers, and how inclusive training pipelines can close the talent gap.

“Data centers are the hardware powering every corner of society. They impact critical infrastructure like hospitals and medical systems, and play a large role in entertainment streaming. As more businesses move to the cloud, the demand for skilled techs who can manage, protect, and fine-tune these systems is skyrocketing,” said Brittany Murrey, Executive Vice President of Talent Solutions, Per Scholas. “At Per Scholas, we’re training people for these high-growth careers, equipping them with the skills to not just join the tech industry, but to help shape its future.”

This event underscored Per Scholas’ commitment to expanding access to high-growth tech careers by preparing individuals with the most in-demand skills—through no-cost training and partnerships with leading employers.

As the conversation around workforce development grows louder, one challenge continues to surface: while many training programs offer no-cost or low-cost courses, far fewer address the full cost of being a learner, including basic living expenses. A recent article from Workshift titled “Want to Close the Skills Gap? Cover Living Expenses, Not Just Tuition” explores this critical gap and highlights how to improve outcomes for learners and employers alike.

Per Scholas, a national nonprofit that provides no-cost technology training to communities across the nation, is doing just that. They’re working to remove financial barriers beyond tuition. In partnership with Social Finance, Per Scholas launched an innovative Zero Percent Loan initiative, offering learners interest-free loans to help cover living costs during their training. This effort reflects a broader understanding that economic stability is foundational to educational success and long-term career growth.

The results of this approach are compelling. As outlined in Per Scholas’ Whitepaper, The Zero Percent Loan: Transforming Workforce Access, the training supports learners with critical resources at a crucial time, helping learners focus on their courses without sacrificing basic needs. This whitepaper details how even modest support for rent, food, and transportation can dramatically increase retention and job placement rates.

One shining example of the impact is Tori Haynes, an alumna of Per Scholas Baltimore. When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted her work as a security guard and professional DJ, Tori pivoted toward a new future in tech. After being encouraged by a Per Scholas alum during a job interview, she enrolled in the IT Support training. While the no-cost nature of the course was appealing, it was the $3,000 Zero Percent Loan that made it truly viable.

“When I found out I got the loan, it was such a relief,” Tori shared. “It allowed me to concentrate fully on my studies and gave me a cushion so I didn’t have to work constantly to make ends meet.” Tori went on to land a role as an IT Support Specialist at MCB Real Estate, describing the program as “life-changing.”

Per Scholas’ partnership with Social Finance is a forward-thinking model of what workforce development must become—one that acknowledges the financial reality of adult learners and works to eliminate it as a barrier to success.

As we look to close the skills gap in a meaningful, inclusive way, solutions like the Zero Percent Loan serve as proof that it’s not just about no-cost tuition—it’s about full support for the learner.