Per Scholas

Per Scholas is an American nonprofit organization based in The Bronx, New York City. It was founded in 1995[1] by John Stookey and Lewis Miller.[2] Per Scholas provides tuition-free technology training to unemployed or underemployed adults for careers as IT professionals, and has 20 educational locations throughout the United States as of 2023.[3]

Programs

IT training programs

Per Scholas offers free IT training and workforce development programs.[4]

Per Scholas offers a range of free technology and professional development training, based on local market demands. Each Per Scholas program includes hands-on technical skills training, job skills instruction, individualized support for job placement, and personal and career advancement.

The success of the Per Scholas training programs (relative to earlier workforce development programs) is attributed in large part to its understanding of the industries its students will enter. The organization works in close partnership with many prominent corporations.[5] Per Scholas’ instructors are experienced experts and its leadership consists of leading professionals in the IT field. Training is also structured to fill specific demands in the labor force.[6]

The programs are funded by an array of partners, including corporations, foundations, public agencies, elected officials, and other people.[7]

Additional IT Courses

In addition to the standard IT Support career-track training, offerings have been expanding to include courses for careers in network engineering, software testing/quality assurance, cyber security, web development, and more to respond to labor demands within the sector.

Social Ventures

In August 2013, Per Scholas launched the Software Testing Education Program (STEP)—an 8-week training that prepares graduates to fill entry-level software testing roles. While developing this program, Per Scholas was given the opportunity to partner with software consulting company Doran Jones to create the Urban Development Center, a software testing center built adjacent to Per Scholas' Bronx location to employ graduates in the software testing field.

Platform by Per Scholas

Platform by Per Scholas (PxPS) offers employers customized training tracks that put students in direct hiring pipelines with major technology employers, as an extension of the Per Scholas workforce development model. Platform students receive tuition-free, hands-on training, career development resources, and interview opportunities with technology employers to help take their career to the next level. PxPS currently operates careers tracks with corporate partners in New York (Bronx, Manhattan), Pennsylvania, and Texas (Dallas, Irving) for aspiring Java/Python/.Net Developers, Data Engineers, SOC Analysts, Programmer Analysts, Quality Engineers, and RPA Developers.[8]

Recognition

Per Scholas was featured in the WIRED magazine in November 2014.[9]

Four Per Scholas graduates were featured in the New York Times in the winter of 2014.[10]

In 2012, Per Scholas was named one of America's top-performing nonprofit organizations by the Social Impact Exchange S&100 Index for its impressive outcomes and results-driven work.[11]

Per Scholas received a Heroes Award from the Robin Hood Foundation in 2011.[12]

Leadership

Founder and Chairman Emeritus John Hoyt Stookey was chairman, president, and CEO of Quantum through 1993, and has held positions on various boards since retiring in 1995.

Current Chairman Lewis E. Miller is the president of Qvidian, a provider of cloud-computing applications, and was previously CEO of Synergistics and The Future Now, Inc.

CEO and President Plinio Ayala was previously the director of program operations at SOBRO. In 2006 he received the Liberty Award from the New York Post for his work in the NYC community and in 2005 was issued a Citation of Merit by the Bronx Borough President.[13]

Each regional site outside of New York has an advisory board as well.[14]

References
  1. "Per Scholas Inc - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. 2013-05-09.
  2. Falzon, Kristin (2016-12-21). "Four Programs Preparing Young People for Work and Life". WorkingNation.
  3. Hsu, Andrea (2023-04-26). "Need a job? Tech remains a good bet despite mass layoffs in Silicon Valley". NPR.
  4. Olson, Elizabeth (2010-11-10). "Veterans Find Jobs With Help From Corporate Gifts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  5. "Training Workers for Good Jobs". The New York Times. March 19, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  6. Building a Career Path Where There Was Just a Dead End, Dale (February 26, 2007). "Building a Career Path Where There Was Just a Dead End". Washington Post. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  7. "Per Scholas - Our Partners". Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  8. "Platform by Per Scholas". Platform by Per Scholas. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
  9. Lapowsky, Issie. "Urban Onshoring: The Movement to Bring Tech Jobs Back to America". Wired. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  10. "Four Per Scholas grads Featured in the New York Times". Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  11. "Social Impact Exchange - An index of top nonprofits creating social impact". Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  12. "Robin Hood Foundation Honors Per Scholas With Heroes Award". Per Scholas Featured News. November 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  13. "Speaker's Bio: Plinio Ayala". Philanthropy New York. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  14. "Per Scholas - New York & National Board". Retrieved 24 November 2015.
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