This week, Per Scholas North Carolina was highlighted in the Charlotte Business Journal! Our North Carolina Managing Director, Mike Terrell, was interviewed for the piece.

In the article, Mike discussed the ways in which Per Scholas focuses on diversifying the tech workforce by opening pathways for people previously excluded from the tech industry. Mike also noted how our professional development training sets us apart from other organizations and lends to the ultimate success of our learners.

The article provided a brief history of Per Scholas, our North Carolina campus, which is located in Charlotte, and some information about our North Carolina courses.

Read the full news article here!

Earlier this month, ActivateWork Powered by Per Scholas was featured in Colorado’s CPR News. The article discussed the increasing number of people opting to enter the tech world via bootcamps and courses, rather than the traditional four-year degree.

Currently, Colorado has one of the highest tech gaps in the nation, with the amount of available tech job postings greatly surpassing the number of people applying for them. It is not that people aren’t interested in pursuing tech — this gap is due to the prohibitively expensive cost of higher education and many existing tech training programs.

“The demand for talent is off the chart, yet the supply is constricting as higher education gets more expensive,” said ActivateWork’s chief operating officer Kathryn Harris. “There are huge untapped pools of workers stuck in jobs that don’t have career paths…They’ve always had an aptitude or an interest or passion in technology, but they haven’t had the resources or the time to skill themselves up,” she said.

This is where programs like ActivateWork Powered by Per Scholas come in, offering diverse individuals the opportunity to earn certifications and start high-growth careers in tech for no personal cost to them.

The article also featured interviews with several learners, including our very own Isaac Horton and Randy Cordova, both of whom graduated from our Per Scholas Denver campus!

Read the full news article here.

Per Scholas Pittsburgh is excited to announce our partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania! The partnership will launch a program for individuals in the region to launch high-growth tech careers.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania (BGCWPA), a provider of education, recreation, and healthy lifestyles programs for individuals ages 3-24, and Per Scholas announced this new collaboration to connect underrepresented individuals to information technology (IT) careers, eliminate barriers to employment in this growing field, and enable learners from diverse backgrounds to pursue living wage careers in the Pittsburgh region. This workforce development initiative is generously funded by the Henry L. Hillman Foundation.

“There is an incredible amount of opportunity in Pittsburgh right now for individuals aspiring to join the tech workforce,” said Todd Derby, Managing Director of Per Scholas Pittsburgh. “At Per Scholas, we provide the necessary training to ensure that diverse and resilient Pittsburgh area residents can get access to digital careers and take advantage of thriving wage opportunities.”

Read the full press release 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!

Per Scholas was featured in an article with Boardroom media network about the NFL’s Inspire Change grant renewals for 2022. Caitlyn Brazill, Per Scholas’s Chief Development Officer, commented on the impact the grant has on our organization, sharing, “We don’t want to be a best-kept secret, and our partnership with the NFL really helps to elevate the message of the works that we do to both potential learners and employers who are seeking diverse tech talent and are looking for partners to help them with hiring needs that they are increasingly desperate for.”

Per Scholas is one of 21 recipients of the grant funding from the NFL’s Inspire Change social justice initiative. To read the full article from Boardroom, click here!

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. 

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 St. Louis is offering cost-free tech training to the St. Louis community in response to the many open tech jobs in the city.  This campus launched at the beginning of April with the first Cybersecurity cohort to begin in June.  Flyover Future featured an interview with Per Scholas St. Louis Managing Director Dr. Charlie Mackey, Jr., and Vice President of Communications Sara Luciano to learn more about Per Scholas.

On our expansion to St. Louis, Dr. Mackey mentioned, “One of the things we looked at was CompTIA’s April jobs report. St. Louis ranked seventh in the nation for the most new tech job postings. And after talking with some local employers and partners, cybersecurity seemed to be on the forefront. So that helped the decision to make our first cohort there around cybersecurity. Also, the alignment made sense because the Global Center for Cybersecurity is also located at Cortex Innovation Community.”

To learn more about our expansion to St. Louis and read the full feature, click here.