Per Scholas redefines IT hiring by diversifying the IT talent pipeline

Per Scholas was founded in 1995 in the Bronx as a computer reclamation company with the goal of bridging the digital divide. To do so, the organization collected retired computers and laptops from companies, fixed them up, and redistributed them back into the community through schools and nonprofits.

When CEO Plinio Ayala joined Per Scholas in 2003, he noticed there weren’t enough skilled technicians to fix the hardware the organization collected. He went into the community and offered people jobs, promising to train them how to repair the computers. The plan worked, but with a twist: Talent Ayala recruited and trained would eventually leave after a year for jobs in the technology industry. That’s when Ayala saw the opportunity to have an even bigger impact, by training and equipping people with the skills to launch careers in IT. 

Today, the once technology recycling program is now a robust nonprofit focused on offering tuition-free IT training to help diversify the tech talent pipeline.

Prepping for success

By focusing on training and certifying learners in valuable, in-demand skills, Per Scholas aims to be a “pathway to a thriving wage,” says Wayne Wilson, director of business solutions at the nonprofit, who graduated from Per Scholas’ software engineering program in 2019 before going on to work for the organization. The nonprofit focuses on serving individuals from communities underrepresented in the IT workforce, those who may not have had access to early training in technology or easy access to STEM resources.

The training is free, but learners must be accepted to the program after a rigorous interview process. The full-time program brings learners together Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm — a schedule that also helps them adjust to the typical corporate schedule. Courses range in length from 12 to 15 weeks, and learners not only gain the technical skills for their chosen path but also receive training on navigating and working in a corporate environment.

“The interview process ensures that the people who are getting into our program are passionate about technology and that they see this as a career path — something that they’re going to leverage and really take advantage of,” says Wilson.

Because the tech industry moves fast, ensuring program members are dedicated to being life-long learners with a passion for staying up to date on relevant technology and skills is important. Programs on offer include desktop support, data analytics, IT support, full-stack Java development, cybersecurity, software engineering, and systems support, as well as programs specifically for women in engineering, among others. Some programs align with certifications that learners can earn during the program, including the CompTIA A+, Google IT Support Professional, CompTIA CySA+, and AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certifications.

Learners also receive professional training, with one day each week dedicated to corporate development, corporate citizenship, preparing for interviews, professional branding, and resume and LinkedIn work. Per Scholas has also launched advanced coaching services, helping learners navigate the complexities of their first corporate job after they’ve completed the training. Graduates can reach out to get support if they aren’t sure how to ask their manager a difficult question, or how to ask for a raise, or get advice setting up a 401(k) plan.

Emphasizing skills from day one

PerScholas programs are all about practical skills-based training. Rather than emphasize theories or concepts, the main question they ask themselves at PerScholas is, “What can do you the day you graduate?” Wilson says.

“As someone who started my degree in computer science and ended in math, what I noticed very early on — and why I switched my major — was because computer science in the university system is very theory-based. I wanted to be a computer science major because I wanted to learn how to code. And we didn’t code for the first two years. It was just talking about how computers work and the theory of code and the theory of statistical analysis and how best to write your code,” says Wilson.

In equipping its learners with practical skillsets, Per Scholas does so with expedited training so that they can get out into the job market as soon as possible — all without incurring several years of college debt. Per Scholas leadership calls the approach “market-driven training,” because it is informed by the current hiring demands and needs of the technology industry. The organization conducts regular client engagement surveys to take the pulse of the industry and discover what skills are the most valuable for its students to learn. This also gives the organization better insight into new training programs Per Scholas can develop to meet future needs.

Launching careers

After training is complete, learners link up with the business solutions team, which Wilson says is the “relationship building arm” of Per Scholas. The team’s goal is to make meaningful pairings between learners and hiring businesses.

“We’re not asking for people to do us a favor and hire our learners. We have identified that we have top tier and extremely sought after talent. What we do with our partnerships is we form a relationship to understand the true business needs. We use that information to share with our potential candidates for these openings, so that they know what the business is truly looking for,” says Wilson.

Even after completing the program, learners have access to internal resources to help them find and navigate a new career, including an internal requisition board where every available opportunity is posted. These job opportunities aren’t simply pulled from available job boards; they are openings unique to Per Scholas, based on the organization’s close relationships with businesses, its efforts to identify job openings that align with training efforts, and its ability to connect them with learners who have completed relevant training.

Wilson says the average placement time for graduates differs by track, but it’s typically between four to six months. IT support positions fill the fastest, in about six weeks, while graduates of higher-skilled tracks such as cybersecurity, cloud, and engineering can take a little longer to find the right placements. Overall, 85% of Per Scholas students graduate, and at least 80% find jobs paying an average of $21.48 per hour, according to Per Scholas.

Shifting hiring practices and norms

In its effort to foster DEI in the tech industry, Per Scholas works directly with organizations to break down misconceptions and stereotypes around traditional hiring structures. The organization works closely with businesses to encourage the adoption of skills-based hiring, helping them shed the idea that all tech candidates must have a traditional four-year degree.

For roles that are harder to fill, such as cybersecurity, Per Scholas has embraced “feeder rolls,” which is the practice of hiring tech workers into entry-level roles that equip candidates with the right experience and skills to move into a cybersecurity role. After candidates gain about six months of baseline experience, Per Scholas then presents these candidates to employer partners for more advanced roles in higher-skilled positions. Wilson says that this practice has resulted in a lot of hiring success, with businesses coming back and asking for more candidates who have similar experience.

“I can speak to the 300 employer partners that we have that have been supportive and understanding and have seen the value in what we offer. And we have grown those relationships. Some of the biggest financial firms in New York City are some of our biggest partners,” says Wilson.

Overall, Per Scholas wants to help organizations see the benefits of more flexible hiring strategies. Not everyone has the time or finances to complete a four-year college degree, and there are plenty of skillsets that don’t require a CS or engineering degree to excel at. And with the fast pace of technology, most organizations can’t afford to wait for students to graduate from university programs to fill current skills needs. They run the risk that, by the time students do graduate, there will be a new skill that needs to be filled in the organization.

And organizations that have specific skills needs can work directly with Per Scholas to develop customizable curricula. Wilson points to a recent example of a tech company that partnered with Per Scholas to develop a training program because they needed to hire 20 mainframe technicians. They built a custom curriculum based around the company’s tech stack, trained 20 technicians on the appropriate skills, and hired all 20 graduates. Organizations can also opt to create training programs for upskilling or reskilling current staff.

Getting a fast — and free — head start

Marie Cari, a software engineer at Bank of America, graduated from the Per Scholas software engineering program in September 2022. As a first-generation immigrant from Albania, growing up in a non-English speaking home, with parents who didn’t attend higher education, Cari found the college process difficult to navigate. With straight A’s, she was accepted to every college she applied, but even with scholarships and financial aid, the costs remained high. After her first semester as a freshman, she felt that if she had the right resources, she could fast-track her career instead of waiting four years and incurring more debt.

“I had compared going to Per Scholas to staying in college and going the traditional route. However, Per Scholas was able to educate me and get me ready for the corporate world in every aspect within months. I didn’t have to go into college debt like my friends did or wait years in order to get the career I wanted,” she says.

Cari is the exact type of learner Per Scholas was designed to support — eager and ambitious, and having grown up in a culture that she says didn’t “encourage women to pursue higher education or lucrative jobs.” While attending an all-girls high school, she quickly noticed how her brother’s all-boys high school had far more opportunities, especially around technology. She had a passion for coding but needed better access to resources to help turn that passion into a viable career. Through the Per Scholas program, Cari gained professional development skills, had access to financial literacy courses, and experienced continued support after graduating to help her navigate the workplace, she says. Even when it was time for her to figure out how to set up a 401(k) and start a budget, she was able to turn to her financial coach at Per Scholas with questions.

Per Scholas keeps in close, regular contact with alumni like Cari for up to two years post-training, working to continue connecting them with employer partners, partner events, and alumni upskilling opportunities. Alumni can earn more certifications and training through Per Scholas to continue building their resumes and to advance their careers. Past those two years, there are still resources for alumni to access, including an entire network of over 20,000 learners who have graduated from Per Scholas’ programs. 

“I keep in touch with everyone from my class back in 2019. We’re still connected. Some of them work at amazing organizations, where they’ve been able to connect me with their hiring team. And now I can leverage those resources to find other people jobs in their organization to follow the same pathway that they did. We’re always looking for these connections, I think I have realized, going through the Per Scholas program, how powerful your network can be,” says Wilson.