Bringing in-demand tech skills to more New Yorkers

Richard was introduced by cybersecurity graduate Matt Vogetta, who shared the impact Per Scholas had on him and how the organisation not only helped him gain valuable skills but also secure a technology role after graduation. Matt commented, “I was accepted into Per Scholas’ cybersecurity course after I was furloughed from my hospitality job, and started a journey that changed my life. I’m now working as a Tech Support Specialist at a law firm. I’d like to thank Barclays for working with Per Scholas to build both this campus and the cybersecurity course. Thanks to Per Scholas, I’ve been given the tools necessary to forge a new path in my life and career.”

Barclays’ investment not only helped Per Scholas increase its physical capacity at the Brooklyn location with an additional 2,000 square feet of staff and classroom space, but also includes the installation of blended learning technology that will enable Per Scholas to serve New Yorkers across the five boroughs via its new Satellite Model.

“Thanks to Barclays’ support, we have been able to add an additional classroom and install technology that allows us to stream our rigorous tech training to any space,” explains Abe Mendez, Managing Director for Per Scholas New York. “The benefit is that we don’t necessarily need to continue building new brick-and-mortar campuses; we can instead develop partnerships with community organisations looking to provide technology training to their local constituents. This approach enables Per Scholas to train more New Yorkers right in their own neighborhoods.”

Per Scholas expects to train 1,000 New Yorkers in 2022, thanks to the combination of on-campus live training and virtual live training. Initially developed as response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Per Scholas’ virtual training is taking on a new twist. Through a partnership with community organisations Commonpoint Queens and JCC of Staten Island, a classroom of learners with the lead instructor at a Per Scholas campus will experience simultaneous instruction as a classroom of learners with an instructional assistant at their facilities in Queens and Staten Island respectively. Future partnerships are planned to bring training to a Manhattan location.

This expansion is good news for both historically overlooked individuals seeking to break into the tech industry in New York, and local companies like Barclays, which stand to benefit from hiring talented Per Scholas graduates.