A recent CIO Dive article highlights Per Scholas and TEKsystems’ years-long partnership as the answer to businesses’ IT talent needs. By turning to nontraditional talent pipelines powered by public-private partnerships, businesses can find diverse talent on the cutting edge that will both shape long-term business growth and diversity in the tech industry. Already through this partnership, 1,000+ Per Scholas graduates have been placed in full-time positions with TEKsystems clients.

Read more about our partnership with TEKsystems and how we are building a diverse tech talent pipeline together here.

Per Scholas CEO Plinio Ayala was recently featured in the New York Times article profiling OneTen’s equity-for-all diversity initiatives. Plinio shared his agreement for eliminating degree-based job requirements and how skills-based hiring and promotion can benefit all workers.

More than 60 percent of all American workers do not have four-year college degrees, so converting to a skills-based hiring system can be valuable to all companies looking for talent.

Read the rest of the article here!

Amazon Business hosted a case study on Per Scholas’s procurement process and featured our story on their website. Per Scholas Director of Procurement Lawrence Chang reflects on how Amazon Business has helped our processes and provided solutions to some of our challenges.

“Amazon [Business] brought us a lot more structure and a lot more control over how we were purchasing,” said Chang.

Read the full feature with Amazon Business here.

Per Scholas was excited and honored to welcome Daniel West, Vice President of Social Impact at BlackRock as the keynote speaker at our last Per Scholas New York graduation of 2023. The ceremony celebrated 33 graduates of a Cybersecurity cohort co-hosted with our satellite partner, Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation. 

BlackRock has partnered with Per Scholas since 2018 to create paths to financial security by providing individuals often excluded from tech careers with skills training and access to high-growth opportunities in the tech sector. This partnership has been pivotal in many Per Scholas initiatives, including our scale to remote training during the Covid pandemic, building and expanding our training capacity and options, the launch of our newest campus in Houston, and more.

In his commencement address, Mr. West celebrated the incredible achievements, determination, hard work, and limitless future potential of each graduate, as well as the foundation that had been set within each of them for a lifetime of continuous learning. 

“This is a momentous occasion, not just for each of you individually, but for the communities you come from, and for the transformative power of education in the pursuit of a brighter future,” West said. “Your unique perspectives, informed by the tapestry of your individual stories, will contribute to innovative solutions, and foster more inclusive workplaces…You have the potential to shape the future, not only for yourselves but for those who will follow in your footsteps. Armed with your education and the foundation laid at Per Scholas, I have no doubt that each of you will indeed change the world.”

Per Scholas was featured in an article published with Fast Company, in which Lisa Gevelber, founder of Google’s certificates program, discussed the ways in which skills-based training can open up opportunities. 

For years, many tech industry leaders have complained about their inability to find workers with the skills they need. Google’s certificate program has been an excellent solution, offering prospective technologists a rapid, low-cost way to gain the specific skills needed to take on roles within the tech industry. 

Google’s career certificate program has now been integrated into the teaching at a number of colleges and school systems, as well as into community-based nonprofits, including Per Scholas, who do cohort based programs and provide coaching along the way for learners earning certificates. Per Scholas has partnered with Google since 2012, and we offer Google IT Support Professional Certificates earn-able through our IT Support training program, which are also available for Per Scholas alumni for up to three years post-graduation.

Read the full article here!

We are excited to announce that Per Scholas Greater Boston has been selected as the recipient of a $1 million grant from the Commonwealth Corporation of Massachusetts! Commonwealth Corporation is a community-based organization that works to promote workforce equity in Massachusetts by “delivering innovative and collaborative professional development solutions that help diverse communities and employers succeed.” Like Per Scholas, Commonwealth Corporation believes that opportunity for meaningful employment can lead to upward mobility for all.

In early November, the Healey-Driscoll Administration of Massachusetts announced nearly $6.4 million in Senator Kenneth J. Donnelly Workforce Success Grants to seven organizations statewide. The grants were funded through the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund (WCTF) and distributed by the Commonwealth Corporation, and the aim is to increase access to well-paying jobs for Massachusetts residents facing employment barriers, scale effective career pathway programs, and enhance worker skill and productivity. 

Per Scholas was one of 7 Massachusetts-based initiatives selected for their work in “developing and implementing employer-responsive programs to place participants into unsubsidized employment in targeted occupations and create opportunities for underemployed and unemployed individuals to access high-quality, in-demand training programs.”

The grants were presented at Open Sky Community Services, Inc., another grant recipient, in an event that was attended by Per Scholas’ Site Director Tyrone Ramnath and Director of Business Solutions Bernadette Deleon-Rees. The funding will be instrumental in helping Per Scholas expand its reach in the Greater Boston area, covering the resources needed to train even more learners in the coming year.

Read more about the grant awarded here!

Earlier in November, Per Scholas received a $1 million grant from JPMorgan Chase to help expand apprenticeship opportunities for learners and scale programs for in-demand occupations ahead of National Apprenticeship Week.

We are one of four organizations to receive the philanthropic commitment totaling $3.5 million, and as a recipient, Per Scholas participated in a virtual panel discussion, “The Opportunity to Expand Apprenticeships – A Field + Funder Conversation,” on Thursday, November 16.

Per Scholas Chief of Staff Tamara Johnson joined Workforce Matters, JPMorgan Chase, Apprenticeships for America, and partners from Apprenti and New America for the event. The panelists discussed the policies and systems important to supporting the learn and earn ecosystem; promising practices that advance equitable access to and outcomes from apprenticeship programs; and how funder investments might help further expand apprenticeship opportunities.

Per Scholas Receives Donation from Amazon as Part of TNF For Good, in Partnership with NFL Inspire Change

Per Scholas New York’s Brooklyn Campus Receives Support for Local Technologists from Amazon and NFL Inspire Change

BROOKLYN, New York (November 27, 2023) –  Per Scholas New York’s Brooklyn campus was visited last week by representatives from our partners at NFL Inspire Change and Amazon. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, former Jets player and NFL Hall of Famer Curtis Martin, Head of Global Sports on Prime Video, Jay Marine, Thursday Night Football Host Taylor Rooks, and Amazon volunteers were in attendance and participated in a panel discussion with Per Scholas President and CEO Plinio Ayala, Per Scholas Chief Revenue Officer Caitlyn Brazill, Per Scholas New York Managing Director Debbie Roman, and 11 Per Scholas New York learners.

During the panel, attendees discussed Per Scholas, Amazon, and the NFL’s unified recognition that talent is found in every community, but opportunity is not. Per Scholas’ mission is to provide access to that opportunity, opening on-ramps for individuals to break into the tech world, unlocking their potential, and ultimately building more sustainable and diverse tech talent pipelines.

Per Scholas is thrilled to announce we received a $100,000 grant from Amazon, which will allow us to continue offering our no-cost training to learners across the country, unlocking their potential and equipping them to launch high-growth careers in tech. This grant will also help support our Brooklyn campus, which sustained damage from a recent hurricane. “We’re grateful for Amazon and the NFL’s continued support in changing the face of tech,” Plinio said. “With their commitment, we’re able to continue providing no-cost tech training to future technologists, unlocking their potential, and advancing economic equity in communities across the country.”

Learners in attendance were thrilled to meet our esteemed guests and provided a brief demonstration of some of the IT skills they have mastered so far in the course. They all received NFL Inspire Change footballs, Microsoft Surface tablets, and tickets to the Black Friday New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins game. This visit was part of the final feature of the TNF For Good program shown during the Black Friday football game. 

About Per Scholas
For more than 25 years, Per Scholas has been advancing equity and increasing opportunity across America. Per Scholas unlocks potential for individuals, communities, and employers through rigorous training for careers in tech. Partnering with dynamic employer partners, from Fortune 500 companies to innovative startups, we are building sustainable and diverse talent pipelines, together changing the face of tech. With national remote training and campuses in 20+ cities and growing, Per Scholas offers tuition-free training in the most in-demand tech skills, including Cloud, Cybersecurity, Data Engineering, IT Support, Software Engineering, and more.

To date, more than 20,000 individuals have gained the skills to launch high-growth tech careers, earning three times their pre-training wage. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is in our DNA: 85 percent of Per Scholas learners are people of color, two in five are women, and more than half have a high school diploma as their highest education credential. Visit PerScholas.org and follow us on LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

About the NFL

Inspire Change is a year-round initiative that highlights the impactful social justice work done by NFL players, clubs, the league office, and grant partners to break down barriers to opportunity and end systemic racism. Since 2017, the NFL Family has provided $300 million to more than 40 national grant partners and more than 600 grassroots organizations to advance social justice causes in the areas of education, economic advancement, police-community relations, and criminal justice reform. To date, the NFL Foundation has provided more than 1,800 Inspire Change matching grants to current NFL players and Legends for nonprofits of their choice to help reduce barriers to opportunity. To learn more about the NFL’s Inspire Change initiative and to view the 2023 Social Justice Impact Report, visit www.nfl.com/inspirechange. Follow @InspireChange on Twitter and Instagram. On Facebook, follow www.facebook.com/inspirechange.

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Per Scholas is excited to announce that we received a $1 million grant from JPMorgan Chase to help expand apprenticeship opportunities for learners and scale programs for in-demand occupations.

We are one of four organizations to receive the philanthropic commitment totaling $3.5 million. This commitment will support Per Scholas in developing and piloting a new cybersecurity apprenticeship initiative, which addresses a critical labor shortage while testing a sustainable, innovative, earn-and-learn approach to achieving economic mobility.

“We are incredibly grateful for this generous investment, which will increase our impact and create economic mobility for thousands of individuals in communities across the country, including an anticipated $80M generated in first-year wages for new cyber technologists historically underrepresented in the cybersecurity space,” said Per Scholas President & CEO Plinio Ayala. “We are excited to partner with employers across the country to make this program a success and help close the cybersecurity skills gap.”

This support will also help us expand our existing suite of cybersecurity training programs to reach more learners annually, recruiting unemployed and underemployed talent from Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Newark, St. Louis and Greater Washington region.

Read the full press release here.

Every year, nearly 200,000 men and women transition from U.S. military service to civilian life. Only 1 in 4 has a job lined up when they return — creating the daunting task of translating their military skills into civilian employment opportunities. Per Scholas, in partnership with TEKsystems, is leading the way in supporting the military community by providing tuition-free, full-time immersive training for in-demand technical skills that lead to industry-recognized credentials. This innovative approach empowers military service members, veterans and spouses to build successful careers in the tech industry by not only providing technical training but also fostering business professional skills, providing learner support and direct connections to employers, and creating a clear path to career advancement in tech.

Demand-Driven Training for Military Service Members, Veterans and Spouses

Per Scholas’ no-cost training program is designed to equip participants with in-demand technical skills and is centered around industry-recognized credentials, ensuring that graduates are well-prepared to meet the specific needs of the job market. TEKsystems, a global provider of business, technology and talent solutions, is committed to creating diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces in the tech industry. Our partnership with TEKsystems addresses the lack of diversity, including the underrepresentation of veterans, in the industry and the demand for technical talent by combining resources, leaning into strengths, and partnering to widen our reach and deepen our impact for individuals, businesses, and communities. This demand-driven approach ensures that military service members, veterans and spouses are not simply trained but trained for success in real-world tech roles. 

Business Professional Skills for the Win with a Holistic Approach

Recognizing that technical proficiency is just one piece of the puzzle, Per Scholas dedicates 20% of classroom time to career coaching and the development of business professional skills. Beyond funding and training, TEKsystems supports our learners – through networking with our learners and alumni, career coaching, and participating in various campus events. We want to build upon the skills learned in their military experience and help them thrive and adapt in any workplace. With our work to support military service members, veterans and spouses, individuals in the military community can gain technical knowledge and soft skills, coupled with their incredible military experience, to position them for continued career success.

Transitioning to a new career can be challenging, and Per Scholas and TEKsystems acknowledge the need for comprehensive support. Per Scholas provides learner support services that include benefit navigation, financial coaching, and wellness support, ensuring that learners can persist through the training program. This holistic approach addresses not only the technical aspects but also the personal and financial challenges military service members, veterans and spouses may face during their career transition. 

Connecting Directly with Employers

One of the most distinctive features of Per Scholas’ training is our direct connection to employers. In the past year alone, over 850 companies hired Per Scholas graduates, with more than 1,000 hires through TEKsystems, demonstrating the high demand for the skills and credentials these military service members, veterans and spouses bring to the job market. This direct link to employers helps ensure that learners have a clear path to employment upon graduation. “I am honored to work with partners including TEKsystems that put hiring from the military community at the forefront in efforts to diversify the tech industry,” stated Per Scholas Director of Veteran Recruitment & Partnerships George Darby. “TEKsystems understands that hiring military service members, veterans and spouses is not only the right thing to do, but it’s also a great business decision. Partners that understand the unique skills and value this talent pool brings are ahead of the competition.”

TEKsystems: Committed to Creating Opportunities for Veterans

TEKsystems is a valuable partner in this endeavor. Having helped more than 20,000 military service members, veterans and spouses since 2013, they understand the distinctive skills within the military community and continue to make a real impact. As a Department of Defense-authorized SkillBridge employer, a program for service members to transition to a civilian career, TEKsystems leads the way for veterans looking to transition out of the military. Their partnership with Per Scholas demonstrates a shared commitment to diversity and inclusivity in the tech industry, recognizing the immense potential and unique qualities of veterans and their spouses.

As military service members, veterans and spouses transition to civilian life, there’s no doubt they face challenges in finding their next opportunity and meaningful employment. However, Per Scholas and TEKsystems, through their collaborative efforts, are paving the way for military service members, veterans and spouses to thrive in the tech industry. Their commitment to inclusivity and empowerment reflects a changing landscape in the tech industry that celebrates the unparalleled value the military community can bring. With a blend of purpose, partnership, and perseverance, the path to success in the tech industry for our military heroes and their spouses is clearer than ever before.