Per Scholas

VOCATIONAL TRAINING - Per Scholas is a national organization advancing economic mobility for 28 years. Through rigorous training, professional development, and robust employer connections, we prepare individuals traditionally underrepresented in technology for high-growth careers in the industry. We partner with leading employers to build more diverse talent pools, directly connecting our graduates to new career opportunities with leading employers, from Fortune 500 companies to innovative startups. With campuses now in 22 cities, Per Scholas has trained 20,000 individuals in tech skills at no cost to learners, building bridges to careers in technology. Our immersive, cohort-based, and full-time training model consistently yields salary increases of three times our learners' pre-training wages. In addition, two random control trial studies have found that Per Scholas learners earn 30% more than their peers, are 50% less likely to rely on public safety net programs, and report higher levels of life satisfaction. Together, these successes amount to a return on investment to governments and communities of $8 for every $1 invested. Per Scholas also actively partners with employers and integrates them into every facet of our activity. We are one of the only nonprofit organizations offering customized training models. With funding and oversight from employers, we work to tailor our curriculum to meet companies' specific hiring needs in terms of both hard technical skills and an introduction to company culture and value sets. Companies have paid us through our customized training practice to help them source diverse new talent for their businesses. We have also begun to pilot paid placement/fee-for-hire relationships, in which employers pay Per Scholas for each Per Scholas graduate successfully hired by the employer.

SOCIAL VENTURES - Per Scholas' asset recovery operations, acts as a recycling business, offering a complete I.T. asset disposition solution. Finally, as a nonprofit social venture, we collect used equipment donated by corporations, government, and individuals, properly recycling the end-of-life equipment and reconditioning equipment with continued use. This activity creates valuable jobs while diverting thousands of tons of electronic waste from landfill disposal.