Following Black History Month in February, we are thrilled to spotlight Per Scholas Executive Vice President of Social Ventures, Damien Howard, and his feature as a Workforce Trailblazer with New York Association of Training and Employment Professionals (NYATEP).

Among the collection of trailblazers, Damien’s experience of over 20 years at Per Scholas and being a champion for diversity and economic equity among the tech community is commended. To read his full profile with NYATEP and to learn more about Damien Howard, click here.

CBS News featured Per Scholas learner, Richard Escotto on their Sunday Morning program.  The feature focused on how many industries and labor markets are looking for employees following the pandemic and where those employees are working now.  Richard Escotto mentioned that after he lost his restaurant job at the beginning of the pandemic, he decided to change career paths into technology. “[The pandemic] did give me an opportunity that was rare and probably was never going to happen, and sometimes you just have to seize that,” Richard reflected.

Richard Escotto is set to graduate from Per Scholas New York in October 2021 from our Cybersecurity course.

Watch the full video here.

As people are hanging up on low-wage careers and answering the call for growth in a new career path, many companies are ready to accept a new demand from skilled workers.  This New York Times article discusses how individuals are now searching for new career opportunities and training courses in order to switch gears for good.  Per Scholas is named as reporting growth and expansion due to many people wanting to train and expand their knowledge.

Click here to read the full article!

Per Scholas Phoenix’s Managing Director, Jaclyn Boyes, discusses the diversity initiatives Per Scholas is taking in Arizona and how the focus of this training program is the equity of opportunity to pursue a career in tech. “There’s a lot of overlooked talent here — Black, brown, female talent in particular — who are unemployed or underemployed, and they can have a successful career in tech,” Boyes said.

This AZ Tech Beat article mentions how companies can get more diversity in their startup, the benefits of diversifying companies now, and Jaclyn’s take on community impact with Per Scholas in Phoenix.  Jaclyn mentions how Per Scholas is impacting economic justice in the community when she mentioned, “these are really the jobs of today, the jobs that can change the course of a person’s life and their children’s life.  What we’re working on is really economic justice here.”

To learn more on this topic, read the full article here.

In this Chronicle of Philanthropy feature, our President and CEO, Plinio Ayala, discusses the impact the grant we received from The Studio @ Blue Meridian and how it will help us close financial equity gaps throughout America.  The grant, which Per Scholas was awarded earlier this year, amounted to $8 million and will help us as an established nonprofit organization grow to impact over 3,000 learners this year to 50,000 learners annually by 2035.   “We’re changing the face of technology,” Plinio stated.

To read more, click here!

In the last year, there has been a major shift in focus on diversity in the workforce among Corporate America. With so many job opportunities coming out of the pandemic, it’s time to turn talk into action; something our Executive Vice President, Diversity and Operational Excellence, Kenneth Walker, discussed in his Crain’s New York Op Ed. “Companies should be turning to DEI consulting firms to better understand how bias plays out in their workplace so that they can build in processes that eliminate hiring biases that may be preventing diverse talent from joining their teams,” Ken reflects. “They can also participate in corporate programs like Diverse by Design to get the resources they need to recruit, retain, and cultivate diverse talent with intention.”

To read his article in full, click here.