Earlier this week, Per Scholas launched two new training facilities in Philadelphia and Detroit powered by Champion Partner TEKsystems. The launch of these new hubs within technology-driven cities marks a new effort towards building an inclusive, job-ready workforce in each regional market and meeting the rising demand for skilled tech talent.

In 2018, Per Scholas and TEKsystems piloted a training course in Baltimore, MD, which also serves as the home base for TEKsystems. Of its graduating class, the Champion partner hired 60 percent within one month of graduating.

“TEKsystems and Per Scholas share a commitment to creating opportunity. We’re proud to expand our partnership with Per Scholas to close the skills gap and achieve greater diversity in technology,” states Jay Alvather, President, TEKsystems.

The inaugural Philadelphia and Detroit cohorts will complete a 15-week, full-time Network Support training courses similar to the Baltimore pilot from the year before. In addition to learning an extensive curriculum that will prepare students for entry into the tech sector, students will also follow a 9-5 schedule that prepares them for the corporate world. “[Our] curriculum is based around the needs of corporate partners so the companies can hire the students after graduation,” says Damien Howard, Senior VP, Per Scholas, commenting on the model’s investment to develop students’ technical and professional skills.

In June, Per Scholas and TEKsystems launched a Java Web Development cohort in Boston. During this 12-week intensive, students learn to enhance their fundamentals in Java development and excel their understanding of program flow, learning topics such as multithreading, Java networking programming, and the latest features of Java 8. Programming languages such as HTML, CSS, JSP, and Maven are used to wire, create, manage, test and inspect Java objects and projects to deliver quality applications. The graduation will take place on August 9th.

Above Images: Detroit students engaged in the Marshmallow Challenge, a group building activity where participants attempt to build a tall freestanding structure using dry spaghetti pasta, string, and marshmallows; students also learn about breaks/fixes as well; Detroit cohort photo.

For Theresa Chin, Senior VP, Per Scholas, the partnership’s expansion into Philadelphia, Detroit and Boston not only meets a need for providing local IT talent, but also brings in hope and a chance for opportunity to areas where it has often been overlooked:

“We are looking to really provide a contribution to [these communities] by offering these types of programs and providing opportunity to people who normally would not be able to take advantage of other opportunities.”

To learn more about this partnership and upcoming courses, please visit https://www.platformbyps.org/our-sponsors/teksystems.

To learn more about our programs in Philadelphia, Boston, and Detroit, please visit us at https://www.platformbyps.org/ and apply today!

On July 26th, Per Scholas Newark celebrated their first graduating cohort in IT Support. The commencement activities occurred at the historic Newark Public Library, which traces its beginnings to the Newark Library Association formed in 1847.

Thank you to all the family and friends who attended and celebrated alongside of our graduates and their incredible accomplishments!

Per Scholas Newark Graduation Program

WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS
Dante Wade, Manager, Employer Partnerships, Per Scholas

GUEST SPEAKERS & REMARKS
David Heifitz, Vice President, Global Business and Technology Solutions (GBTS), Prudential

VALEDICTORIAN REMARKS
Jeremy Morel

PRESENTATION OF CORE VALUES AWARDS
Sierra Harvey, Manager, Career Advancement, Per Scholas

CLOSING REMARKS
Jade Nesbeth, Project Manager, Global Security, Prudential
Per Scholas Alumna

On July 26th, Per Scholas Newark celebrated their first graduating cohort in IT Support. The commencement activities occurred at the historic Newark Public Library, which traces its beginnings to the Newark Library Association formed in 1847.

Thank you to all the family and friends who attended and celebrated alongside of our graduates and their incredible accomplishments!

Per Scholas Newark Graduation Program

WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS
Dante Wade, Manager, Employer Partnerships, Per Scholas

GUEST SPEAKERS & REMARKS
David Heifitz, Vice President, Global Business and Technology Solutions (GBTS), Prudential

VALEDICTORIAN REMARKS
Jeremy Morel

PRESENTATION OF CORE VALUES AWARDS
Sierra Harvey, Manager, Career Advancement, Per Scholas

CLOSING REMARKS
Jade Nesbeth, Project Manager, Global Security, Prudential
Per Scholas Alumna

On July 26th, Per Scholas Newark celebrated their first graduating cohort in IT Support. The commencement activities occurred at the historic Newark Public Library, which traces its beginnings to the Newark Library Association formed in 1847.

Thank you to all the family and friends who attended and celebrated alongside of our graduates and their incredible accomplishments!

Per Scholas Newark Graduation Program

WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS
Dante Wade, Manager, Employer Partnerships, Per Scholas

GUEST SPEAKERS & REMARKS
David Heifitz, Vice President, Global Business and Technology Solutions (GBTS), Prudential

VALEDICTORIAN REMARKS
Jeremy Morel

PRESENTATION OF CORE VALUES AWARDS
Sierra Harvey, Manager, Career Advancement, Per Scholas

CLOSING REMARKS
Jade Nesbeth, Project Manager, Global Security, Prudential
Per Scholas Alumna

On June 25th, Per Scholas Greater Boston celebrated the graduation of its inaugural cohort in IT Support. The 11 graduates completed 10 weeks of intensive training and will begin their tech careers as motivated, prepared candidates.

Click here to watch the graduation livestream.

Grant from Cognizant U.S. Foundation will fund training for 150 students in Manhattan.

June 24, 2019 – Today, Civic Hall and Per Scholas officially launched a pilot technology training program for New York City non-profit agencies and residents, with funding from the Cognizant U.S. Foundation. Administered by Per Scholas, a nationally-recognized non-profit and professional development organization, the program will train 150 individuals in next-generation technology to help them find employment in the New York City area. The results of this initial pilot will be used to develop additional program offerings as part of a larger digital learning initiative backed by Civic Hall, and hosted in the new Civic Hall @ Union Square technology hub.

The first cohort of students will participate in an 18-week Programming Basics and Application Developer course, where they will be introduced to the fundamentals of Java development and learn how to build and deliver quality applications. The pilot program will be held in the Flatiron District at General Assembly.

“This partnership and pilot are essential to ensuring that the future workers of our city are able to keep up with the rapidly changing needs of the 21st century economy,” said Andrew Rasiej, Founder and CEO, Civic Hall.”Our vision for Civic Hall @ Union Square is to create a new institution to provide up to date digital training systems in support of our surrounding communities in partnership with the Cognizant U.S. Foundation & Per Scholas.”

Future classes born from this partnership will be developed to coincide with the opening of Civic Hall @ Union Square, a new technology innovation hub that will include a 40,000 sq. ft. Digital Learning Center. The space, heralded by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and unanimously approved by the City Council, will be completed in 2020.

“We see firsthand the ever-growing need for technical talent in today’s workforce,” said Allen Shaheen, Board Member, Cognizant U.S. Foundation. “And today, we are thrilled to help bring new training programs and new opportunities to people across New York City.”

“Today marks an important milestone in our work to equip communities with the skills and experience to thrive in today’s economy,” said Kristen Titus, Executive Director, Cognizant U.S. Foundation. “With this launch, we are excited to make technology training programs available to communities across New York—and open pathways to technology jobs everywhere.”

“The opportunity that this partnership has provided New Yorkers is insurmountable,” said Plinio Ayala, CEO of Per Scholas. “Members of this program will be fully equipped to stand up to the growing need for specialized tech talent in today’s workforce, and I’m very eager to watch them excel.”

A kick-off event will be held on Tuesday, June 25, from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM at Civic Hall to celebrate the launch of the program. There, the incoming class will have the opportunity to network with Per Scholas alumni and representatives from Civic Hall, Per Scholas, and Cognizant U.S. Foundation.

Interested in joining us?

Our next Application Developer course is currently accepting applications for its September 16th cohort. To learn more about this program, please visit https://www.platformbyps.org/nyc/application-developer and apply today!

About Per Scholas

Per Scholas is a national nonprofit that drives positive and proven social change in communities across the country. Through rigorous and tuition-free technology training and professional development, we prepare motivated and curious adults who are unemployed or underemployed for successful careers as technology professionals, and we create onramps to businesses in need of their talents. Today we provide our solutions in eight cities across the country and to date, Per Scholas has enrolled 10,000 individuals, helping them build lasting, life changing skills and careers in technology.

About Civic Hall

Civic Hall is the nation’s leading center for learning and collaboration focused on advancing technology and problem solving for the public good. Our mission is to embed civic values where technology and society meet, and help people discover powerful new ways to embody those values in their work and life. At Civic Hall, entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, government staff, community organizers, philanthropists, software developers, data scientists, and media makers come together to share knowledge and solve pressing public interest problems.

About the Cognizant U.S. Foundation

The Cognizant U.S. Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation supporting STEM education and skills training across the United States. Launched in 2018 with an initial $100 million investment from Cognizant, the Foundation has since awarded $12 million to organizations working to educate and train the next generation of workers in communities throughout the U.S.

On June 19th 2019, we held an exclusive screening of “VICE Special Report: The Future of Work,” followed by a panel discussion where panelists reflected on how current perceptions, strategies, and solutions on skills, work, and work retraining influence an extensive economic and social network made up of current and prospective students, workforce development organizations and government agencies.

Featured guests panelists:

• Kelly Richardson | Managing Director, Per Scholas Newark and New York

• Krishna Sai Andavolu | Correspondent for VICE Media on HBO and the host of “The Future of Work” documentary

• Kathy Meier-Hellstern | Assistant Vice President of Optimization, Reliability & Customer Analytics (ORCA) for AT&T’s Advanced Technology & Services Organization

• Shaniece Crumpler | Recent graduate of Per Scholas’ CodeBridge full stack web development course in partnership with General Assembly featured in the film

A special thanks to all of our panelists and our partners at AT&T Xandr HBO and VICE Media for supporting our mission to provide access and opportunity to talented individuals across the United States.

In 2016, the country of Cameroon erupted with a series of protests that led the country into a civil war. Tensions escalated, as did the death toll as a result of mounting conflict. Thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean in Boston, Massachusetts, Justice Abinyui Muh, a Global Health Corps fellow conducting research abroad at the time, bore witness to his home country’s civil uprising from a distance.

Justice was about to become one of the millions of refugees from across the globe who have been displaced due to crisis and conflict, and would have to begin the daunting task of rebuilding his life and career.

Prior to completing his fellowship, Justice worked at the Limbe Regional Hospital in Southwest Cameroon to implement a software to manage HIV data. “For many patients that I met in this hospital, it was their suffering from the disease that they were most aware of — they wanted to be healed by any means possible,” he wrote in a 2017 Medium blog post.

As political tensions grew in Cameroon, Justice worried for his family, friends, and the nation overall, and weighed his options returning home. He was an activist back in Cameroon, however, during this time, the government sought out all activists who spoke out against their policies. Although his fellowship supported him for a year, his visa was not enough to support his stay in the states beyond the tenure of his fellowship. With all that remained behind, separated by an ocean, Justice applied for asylum and sought refuge in the United States.

Efforts to fully ground himself proved challenging. After his fellowship, Justice moved to Washington, D.C. and stayed with a friend, spending his days researching jobs in the information technology sector. Even with a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, and a Bachelor’s of Engineering in Information Technology, Justice struggled to secure a job, especially one that matched his technical experience and interests. Likening his job search to that of a “full-time job,” his savings was slowly shrinking and his approaches to finding work and starting a new life in America were proving fruitless.

“What was wrong? What am I doing in this country? How do I get a job, and what happens if I spend this money and run out of it?” Justice became greatly frustrated, not expecting his work history experiences and advanced education to be so hard to apply to prospective work opportunities.

Fueled by his frustration, Justice researched online how other immigrants might have experienced difficulty integrating into the United States and discovered Upwardly Global—a national nonprofit that helps newcomers integrate into the professional workforce. He enrolled in their courses and realized how truly different was the job market in the United States.

“I knew I needed a coach, assistance with getting a job. I learned how to present myself differently to hiring managers,” Justice reflects, learning to distinguish himself not just as someone who needed a job but as a fully competent individual with the skills and experience to do the work successfully. “Upwardly Global was an organization that bridged the gap with applying to jobs and improving my communications with recruiters.” An encouraging meeting with Bethany, his career coach at Upwardly Global who remained confident in his career prospects, proposed that Justice apply to Per Scholas to seek further specialized technical training.

Reading up on the many student success stories from Per Scholas alumni, Justice decided to enroll at Platform by Per Scholas in Dallas, Texas. He moved to Texas in January 2018 and started classes that March.

During his first week at Per Scholas, Justice was still concerned about his prospects finding a job once he completed his training. As his technical background lent well to his ability to navigate the coursework comfortably, Justice tried to focus more on establishing a strong network of friends and colleagues. He made himself available to his other classmates, helping them to understand the coursework. He even collaborated with them from time to time on how to apply for jobs once they graduated, thinking through how to review and complete applications and how to network effectively. What was most important, for both Justice and his peers, was to know that they were not alone, and that they could support one another through this process.

When Justice graduated from Per Scholas, he once again applied for jobs. This time, with an industry recognized certification in tow, combined with his newly found confidence, Justice walked into interviews and presented his best self. The calls came in, as did the offers. After what felt like a long journey, Justice was hired at a leading global professional service company. Finally, he had a job, and not just a job, but an opportunity to launch a career in his field with a Fortune 500 company.

Though he finally found employment, when asked what was next, Justice, always forward thinking, replied that he would focus on being the best he could be where he is at now, often times creating and setting work learning plans to educate himself further in the areas of quality assurance and engineering. Unfortunately, the war in Cameroon is still ongoing, and contact with his family remains nonexistent to this day. Justice might not have assumed that he would discover his best self a world over, but he chose to discover himself where he is at now, and that alone is a process of which to be proud.

Last November, Champion Partner JPMorgan Chase & Co. announced a $1 million philanthropic commitment to Per Scholas as part of the corporation’s overall $6 million investment towards the New Skills for Youth Initiative (NSFY) in the Bronx. This national campaign, which launched in 2016, strengthens career readiness approaches by building high-quality career pathways that close critical skills gaps and provides youth with on-ramps to post-secondary training and education beyond high school.

The April 9th grand opening celebration of Per Scholas Newark brought together more than 300 community members, nonprofit and business leaders, Per Scholas alumni, staff and the nineteen students of the site’s first cohort. The facility is the third Per Scholas location within the tri-state area, and will provide training and professional development to more than 200 graduates pursuing tech careers over the next three years. Two thirds of these graduates will be Newark residents. Per Scholas’ expansion to Newark was made possible through the generous support of Champion Founding Partner Barclays, Signature Founding Partner Prudential Financial, Major Founding Partner PSEG, and Founding Partners AT&T and Guardian Life.

“Newark is experiencing an explosion of technology companies choosing to locate here.” says Mayor Ras Baraka. “One of our highest priorities is to ensure that Newark residents benefit from the city’s accelerating development, investment and job growth. The decision by Per Scholas to come to Newark is both a confirmation of Newark’s technology leadership and a boost to our goal of preparing residents for well-paying tech jobs.”