Education can be the gateway to a better life. The world also needs more and more qualified tech workers. So today we are talking with a company that is trying to solve these problems
Hey everybody, this is Chris Brandt, here welcome to another FUTR podcast.
Today we are talking with Daniel Ponciano and Grace Yao from PerScholas. Per Scholas believes that a thriving, diverse, workforce requires equitable access to education. They are educating the whole student, having given more than 20,000 students the hard and soft skills they needed to succeed. The best part of this is that they do this for free. So let's talk with them about how it all works.
Welcome Daniel and Grace
Per Scholas: https://perscholas.org/chicago/
Donate: https://perscholas.org/donate/
Click Here to Subscribe:
FUTR.tv focuses on startups, innovation, culture and the business of emerging tech with weekly podcasts featuring Chris Brandt and Sandesh Patel talking with Industry leaders and deep thinkers.
Occasionally we share links to products we use. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases on Amazon.
Education can be the gateway to a better life. The world also needs more and more qualified tech workers. So today we are talking with a company that is trying to solve these problems
Hey everybody, this is Chris Brandt, here welcome to another FUTR podcast.
Today we are talking with Daniel Ponciano and Grace Yao from PerScholas. Per Scholas believes that a thriving, diverse, workforce requires equitable access to education. They are educating the whole student, having given more than 20,000 students the hard and soft skills they needed to succeed. The best part of this is that they do this for free. So let's talk with them about how it all works.
Welcome Daniel and Grace
Per Scholas: https://perscholas.org/chicago/
Donate: https://perscholas.org/donate/
Click Here to Subscribe:
FUTR.tv focuses on startups, innovation, culture and the business of emerging tech with weekly podcasts featuring Chris Brandt and Sandesh Patel talking with Industry leaders and deep thinkers.
Occasionally we share links to products we use. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases on Amazon.
Education can be the gateway to a better life. And the world also needs more and more qualified tech workers. So today we're talking with a company that is trying to solve these problems. Hey everybody. This is Chris Brandt here with another FUTR podcast. Today, we're talking with Daniel Pansiano. And Grace Yao from Per Scholas. Per Scholas believes that a thriving, diverse workforce requires equitable access to education, and they are educating the whole student, having given more than 20, 000 students, the hard and soft skills they need to succeed. The best part of this is that they do this for free. So let's talk with them about how it all works. Welcome, Daniel and Grace.
Daniel Ponciano:Hi, Chris. Thank you for having us.
Grace Yao:Yeah, thank you so much for having us. We're really happy to be here.
Chris Brandt:Yeah, I'm excited to have you here because I think, uh, I like what you're doing. I think it's, it's cool stuff. You, uh, I met you guys at first. Uh, I met you guys first at, um, Tech Week. The, uh, Tech Week Chicago event. And, uh, you had a lot of people, uh, Interested in your, your table and your booth. And, uh, so clearly there was a lot of interest there. Um, you know, to get going here, can you tell me about how did Per Scholas get started?
Daniel Ponciano:Per Scholas was founded in New York, in the Bronx, um, specifically. It was founded over 25 years ago, actually, and yeah, it actually didn't start off as a training school, believe it or not. It actually started off as, uh, refurbishing computers for, um, underprivileged communities. So it started off with that, right? Can you believe that? 25 years later, we have over 20, 20 sites, um, across the U. S. Um, so it's, it's really amazing what Scola's done over the past 25 years.
Chris Brandt:You guys were right next to the, uh, PCs for People table. Oh, yeah. Mm hmm. That, that, that combination, uh, hits it all, on all accounts.
Daniel Ponciano:Mm hmm. Yes, yes. It's actually, uh... So it started off as, you know, refurbishing computers, they were doing that, and then as they were doing that, they were actually, you know, applying to, um, IT helpdesk roles. Because they were, you know, trained through Priscolas and how to refurbish computers, that they thought that, you know, they're like, hey, we're doing this, why not apply for an IT tech role? And that's how it started, and Priscolas was like, hey, we're teaching, you know, people over here and over there, and how to, you know, refurbish computers, why not? You know, do a whole program of how, how you can refurbish a computer, a desktop, a printer, all of that. And yeah, 25 years later, now we have rigorous training programs throughout the U. S. So it's, it's been amazing.
Chris Brandt:What is the ultimate mission? I mean, you started off as teaching people how to repair computers and refurbish computers. And now your, your curriculum is obviously significantly broader than that, right?
Daniel Ponciano:We want to make sure that, um, everyone that Code Super Scholas is prepared in many ways, such as, you know, their tech, their tech skills, their soft skills, their transferable skills. So, diversifying, diversifying the tech field is our main mission, and we do that through, um, connecting our learners with, um, different network opportunities, employment opportunities, um, after they're done with the training.
Grace Yao:We do all of that. Yeah, and a lot of our learners that come through our doors and go through our programs are from usually backgrounds or demographics that are not usually historically represented in the field of tech. And so, um, by, you know, connecting, uh, different communities that, um, you know, traditionally might not have those on ramps to those types of careers and jobs. Um, we, um, slowly are. Changing the face of tech.
Chris Brandt:Tech definitely needs more diverse voices and especially, you know, now we're entering the world of artificial intelligence and things like that. And and if we don't have a diverse workforce that is building these things, we're going to leave people behind. So I think your mission is particularly poignant right now, right? So you're talking about it. You know, like building a more diverse workforce. Right. And, you know, can you talk a little bit about like where your students are coming from?
Grace Yao:For sure. So, um, for our specific campus in Chicago, uh, we have learners, I guess, geographically from all different neighborhoods, um, in Chicago. So, um, we have students coming from the South side of Chicago, uh, North side, some even come from, um, the, Nearby suburbs. Um, so geographically, they're coming from all over, um, the city and Chicagoland area in terms of, you know, demographics and things like that. Uh, most of the learners that do, um, come in through our doors are, um, people of color. So 85 percent of our, um, learners, graduates, uh, are people of color. And, uh, we also, have a lot of, um, learners who are women as well. So, 41 percent of our learners, um, are women. And because we're trying to provide, you know, opportunities and more non traditional pathways to, um, these kind of, uh, careers and a non traditional post secondary education, uh, we have about, like, 66 percent of our, um, learners that only have a, a high school diploma, um, Even though, you know, a lot of these, um, careers usually, um, require like a traditional four year degree. Um, and, uh, in terms of, you know, different walks of life, we have, um, so many different people coming from all sorts of situations. So, some learners come through our doors because they are looking to change careers. Maybe they've been working in a certain industry that is no longer as... You know, sustainable or, um, maybe, you know, it's a little bit too physically taxing for their age. Like maybe someone's been working in manufacturing for a long time or retail or things like that and they need some sort of, um, job that's a little less, um, you know, labor intensive. Um, or there's, um, People that have loved tech all their life, but maybe due to financial, um, situations or other life events, um, they haven't had the opportunity to be able to pursue a formal education with, um, tech. Or, um, we also see individuals who are, uh, immigrants from other countries who, um, maybe have certain degrees, but, um, Because of like, uh, certain language barriers or credentials not being recognized, they kind of have to like start over again or start, um, you know, with education here, um, in the U. S. So we, we have... All types of different people. We welcome all sorts of people, all walks of life, um, through our doors. And, you know, the, the one unifying thing that they have in common is the passion, um, for technology and the passion for learning. Well, and, you know, I was
Chris Brandt:really surprised because I, I think Daniel, you mentioned that your, the average age is in the thirties. I would have thought it would have skewed, you know, much younger, but, you know, as you're explaining your demographics, um, I can see how that that could skew older and I could see, you know, like even people who are kind of reaching the like the end of their careers would be potentially interested in, in, in pursuing this as well too, right?
Grace Yao:For sure. Yeah, we have, um, a good handful of students. students that are, um, you know, 30 plus as well. And, um, even though, you know, our kind of bell curve peaks around, um, um, mid to late twenties, um, early thirties, we do have some. Um, individuals, uh, that are younger, like, like you were saying that are fresh out of high school, maybe don't want to go through the really expensive route of a traditional, you know, bachelor's degree, uh, program. And so per school, this is like also a perfect option for them as well.
Chris Brandt:You are taking students who have, um, maybe not had the kind of access that everybody else has had. To both technology and, and, um, resources, what, when you get these students in the door, like, you know, what do you see? Cause I know you, you provide a much more holistic approach to educating the whole student. And, and I'm going to ask you about that in a second, but, um, you know, like when you, when you see people come in, what kinds of skills are, are you seeing that they're lacking? Is it, is it the tech skills that are. Missing? Is it the, the, the, um, job skills? Is it, you know, like the, what goes all into it and what, what do you see that, you know, you're really providing there?
Daniel Ponciano:So for our learners, what I see is, um, a lot of them have customer service skills. A lot of them have 10 plus customer service skills. Um, they have tons of transferrable skills that most of them don't realize that they have because they've been doing it for so long that a lot of them, when they do come through our doors, I think the most challenging. thing that they face is imposter syndrome because they've been real comfortable in their careers either five, seven years. We do have um, right now a current learner who's been teaching education for the past seven years and decided because now we're in their summer break during the summer break they decided to pivot and do tech. Um, which they have tons of transferable skills. The thing that we're missing were the tech skills, of course, but also trying to face that in process syndrome. So, um, Having alumni come into the classroom that has the program of currently currently working in the field Explaining, you know, how did they Why did they overcome their imposter syndrome? How did they overcome the training program? What was their study habits like? Right, what do they do to prepare themselves for the exam? Because they do have to take an exam, um, to get certified. So after the 12, 15 weeks, they do get, they do receive an industry recognized credential. So what? They're, I would say what they are missing is just. Just having more people come in and explain and just letting them know that, hey, like I was once in your shoes, like it is possible to, you know, to get here where I'm at. Having more people in their, their shoes once upon a time come in or alumni come in and explain to them, Hey, like, yes, this 12 week course could be a little rigorous. Yes, it is Monday through Friday. It is nine to five. You know, it is, it's a lot, right? But these 12 weeks are going to go by so fast. That once you're done, like, of course, your first week, you're not going to feel the same as you, as you are in the 12th week, right? If you're going to learn more tech skills, you're going to, um, realize the more transferable skills that you have in your previous employment, um, could definitely transfer into your first role of it.
Chris Brandt:So I know that there's a lot of, um, you know, there's requirements for, income around this. Um, so I would imagine, you know, a lot of the folks in the program are coming from places where maybe they don't have great access to computer systems and internet access and, you know, and, or, or even, you know, in some cases, probably stable environments to study and, and, and do the work and reliable transportation and all those sorts of things, you know, so w how, how do you help them manage all that?
Grace Yao:Um, we also provide, um, learner support as they go through the program, so we have a designated learner support team, um, that will work with them in terms of, you know, figuring out what, uh, resources that they might need to be connected to, whether that's, like, um, financial aid or, um, mental health resources or, um, Uh, you know, housing or different things like that, um, to just be able to, um, be that helping hand in order to like navigate, um, all of that. Um, there's also meet them where they are, meet them where they are. Um, and we have like a designated financial coach as well. Um, for each cohort that, um, Can also work with them in terms of, uh, connecting them to financial resources, um, as well as, um, you know, helping them in terms of, uh, financial education. So, um, teaching about, uh, coaching about like credit or, um, you know, budgeting, um, different ins and outs that they don't teach you at school or they don't teach you, you know, anywhere. Exactly. Exactly. So, um, Those are some of the supports that we have built in, um, to our program as well. Um, we also do partner with a couple of organizations. I know you, uh, mentioned PCs with, uh, people earlier, and we actually do have an active partnership with them. So, um, for learners that, uh, maybe do not have, like, a device to be able to, uh, do the course, or maybe they, um, You don't need a more updated device to be able to run all the programs that they're going to be using during the course. Um, we have laptops to provide for them, um, as well. So, um, yeah, we are still, you know, innovating and thinking of different ways that we can continue to support our learners. Um, we know transportation especially is, uh, one of the challenges as well. We are downtown and people are coming from everywhere. So, um, we are brainstorming always like trying to make sure we have some supports in place. Um, but yeah, though, some of the stuff, what I've mentioned is what we're currently, um, doing. Yeah.
Chris Brandt:I mean, I love that because I would imagine you, you, you've probably got pretty good success rates with your students because. Um, you know, not a lot of not a lot of programs kind of offer that additional support and the financial pieces is amazing to, um, so, you know, I got to imagine that's that's super helpful to a lot of these people because maybe, you know, they may be very tech savvy, but maybe those are the pieces that are sort of missing from them advancing, right?
Grace Yao:For sure. Yeah, definitely. Like, um, situation and like holistic supports. Like we were saying earlier, like we serve the whole student. So we're not just concerned about how they're doing in the classroom, but we're also concerned how they're doing outside the classroom. And that might also not just be a physical needs. Um, like Daniel said, it could be, you know, imposter syndrome managing, uh, test anxiety, or, you know, all of the stressors and. Um, different mental battles you might have to fight when doing like a very intense, um, you know, educational program or training program. And um, I know you mentioned like, Oh, we, we must have a pretty good completion rates and I always love to brag about Chicago's completion rates. Yeah. So, um, in, in the past. Um, year in 2022, we were able to achieve a 95 percent graduation rate, um, which, uh, is I think relatively high on the bell curve of like boot camps and like, uh, tech training camps. Yeah. And, um, we've, uh, got a 95 percent certification rate as well and an 88%, um, employment rate for after they graduate the program. Those are pretty good numbers. Yeah. And so I think it's the uniqueness of, you know, per school, this is holistic approach that allows these students to be able to achieve the success that they do.
Chris Brandt:You know, like I mentioned in the introduction, I think there's so many business, I hear all the time. It's like, we can't find people. We can't find people. We can't find people with this. Can't find people that, you know, there's definitely demand out there. So, um, you know, I like the fact that you're, you're helping people. You know, find those opportunities and and and I think that the approach you're taking where you're really looking at the whole student and and meeting them where they are and really understanding the particular needs of those students, you know, to get them to that finish line. That's that's that's an awesome, awesome thing you guys are doing.
Daniel Ponciano:Chris additionally, we will be like what I like to say is that the program has two pillars that holds the whole 12, 15 week program together. If you have, you know, your technical base, which of course are super important, but also, you know, we have professional development, which helps them with. You know, they face their imposter syndrome in one way or another, um, but
Chris Brandt:I know all about imposter syndrome. Yeah. Oh, yeah Do you want me to come and talk to somebody about imposter syndrome?
Daniel Ponciano:For sure for sure But on top of that professional development like we have we go over their resumes once two three times We go over their cover letters. We want to make sure that they have their elevator pitches ready because of course They're going to go into the tech world and they need to know this stuff as well is not enough just to have the technical skills. We also need to show that they have people skills that, you know, our learners are once we see. In the workforce, having lunch with, you know, I want to have lunch with you, you know, I, I see you're a people person. I see your customer service skills. Um, so we have that included into, um, professional development as well as having mock interviews because of course they are going to be interviewing. I wish we could just get that job, but of course there has to be, you know, one, two, three sets rounds of interviews. And what we like to do is, um, we tend to have in person and virtual because of course they're going to be receiving. Yeah, especially after 2020, things definitely changed. So, um, we do give them a little bit of both in person and virtual, and not just that, we show them how to, how to prep for interviews, how to address their interview questions, how they can, um, bring their transferable skills out, and just really, really sell themselves to get that first IT job.
Chris Brandt:I like when you said earlier that you're changing the face of IT because I think, you know, I and I've talked on the show a lot about diversity and equity, inclusion, accessibility and things like that. And, you know, the reason I talk a lot about that is because there's not a lot of it in tech, you know, it's really, um, the tech industry is not really hitting the mark on diversity, I would say, and I think it's got to be difficult for, you know, folks who are not seeing themselves represented. In those jobs in, you know, as leaders in those companies and things like that, just, you know, trying to, you know, when you talk about imposter syndrome and things like that, it makes that a lot more difficult when you're not seeing yourself represented in the field in which you're trying to go into. And I think that's, that's a great thing that you're doing is allowing more people to get into that field so that it is, you know, it looks more like. The United States look like or what Chicago looks like. Right. Um, and I got to imagine that's, you know, helpful. I mean, you've already put what 20, 000 people into jobs. So plus 20, 000 plus, right? Yes. So that's got to help.
Daniel Ponciano:I think what also helps is having, um, alumni come back. And really talk to them and really saying, Hey, you do belong here. Hey, like, I am working. I was once in your spot before, you know, like, yes, imposter syndrome is going to happen. Who doesn't have imposter syndrome, right? But, you know, once these 12 weeks are done, you are an IT professional. You belong to have, you belong to have those, you belong. wherever you go, you know, you become the environment you put yourself in.
Chris Brandt:When you talk about, you know, DEIA and all that, um, the, the idea of sponsorship keeps coming up, you know, it's, it's cause it's one thing to sort of be accepting of people and, you know, have diversity in hiring, but a lot of people don't advance because they don't have that level of sponsorship in their organization to like actually bring them up to that next level, make sure that they get included in a meeting, invite, or, you know, give them that. Keep it of advice and, you know, to help them elevate themselves within an organization. And I love the fact that you're bringing the alumni back to kind of facilitate that. That's great.
Daniel Ponciano:Yeah, actually, we have alumni always reaching out like. We're ready to talk to the next cohort, ready to do, we just had a summer panel full with alumni, um, and just explaining their experience as a student, explaining their experience now as a, um, IT professional. We cur we had, um, one of our success stories were actually a learner who was doing retail for about, I want to say over four years, and then doing hospitality, and then came through this program twelve weeks. still doing the program, still working full time, still managing all of that. And then, um, now they're currently a data technician at Microsoft.
Chris Brandt:Those are amazing stories. And, and, uh, I think that's, that's really speaks to what you're doing. Um, you know, could you talk a little bit about, you know, you say you got like what is 12 to 15 week course around there. Could you talk about like, what is in that course? I'm sure you like, Grace, you mentioned that it changes all the time, but like, you know, currently, like what, what, what would be included in that course?
Grace Yao:Yeah, for sure. So right now we're offering, um, four different training tracks. So the one that takes place, um, in our, uh, downtown location in Chicago, um, we, we offer it hybrid. So Tuesdays, Fridays. They're, uh, in the classroom in person. Um, and then the other three days are remote, uh, through zoom. Um, so that's the it support course. Um, then we also have, uh, remote courses, um, that learners are joining synchronously, uh, through zoom as well. Um, which is a cybersecurity. Software engineering and, um, AWS restart, which, uh, basically is, uh, cloud computing, but we work specifically with the, um, AWS, uh, system and console. So, um, since, uh, IT support is kind of like our, uh, most popular and, um, our most in demand. Yeah. In demand. It's very, I think learners are excited to be in person as well, um, to actually get like hands on physical, um, experience. And so, um, in that specific course, there's ins and outs of, uh, troubleshooting, uh, updating, installing different things, um, on a computer, uh, Networking, cabling, as well as, um, you know, working with hardware. So we cover, um, you know, all the basic skills that a person would need to obtain, like, an entry level IT support job. Um, whether it's, like, a, um, computer technician or, um, an IT support analyst. Um, like Daniel was saying, like, one day out of the week is going to be professional development. And... Big portion of the course is dedicated to preparing for the certifications that they're going to take as well. So for IT support specifically, um, it's the CompTIA A plus, um, and the Google IT support professional, um, certifications, um, that they'll take at the end. Um, and for, um, cybersecurity, software engineering, AWS, um, I could go into them, uh, uh, with a lot of detail because that's what I do like every, every day. That's, uh, my job at First Coal is just to talk about our courses. Um, but at a very high level, it's like, um, cybersecurity or, or for all of these. you know, higher level courses as well. We have hands on portions, even though it's remote, they get to work with all of the programs, the software that industry professionals would engage with every day on their day to day job. And so cybersecurity, we prepare them for the, uh, CYSA Plus CompTIA certification, um, for software engineering. We're working with them, um, to build the essential skills to become a web developer or a software developer. And so, um, at the end, they get a very robust portfolio made up of, uh, projects that they've worked on, um, in class. Uh, assignments or in group projects working together, um, that they can showcase to employers afterwards. And, uh, for AWS, um, they will be working on, um, building cloud solutions, um, With like real world scenarios on things that you know businesses or enterprises would be looking for and they also will take the AWS cloud practitioner certification exam at the end as well. So that's kind of just a high level of What our current courses look like
Chris Brandt:what are what are the requirements to be considered to be a student
Grace Yao:You have to have, um, first of all, most importantly, a passion for technology, um, really wanting to get, uh, into tech. Um, and the more, you know, nitty gritty technical things is, um, you have to have a high school diploma at least, um, or equivalent. So a GED works as well. Um, you have to have work authorization. So we're, um, The aim of this program is to prepare you to be able to work in tech and so, um, having the work authorization already, um, cleared before you go into this program, um, is helpful. Um, you have to be able to attend, uh, kind of like a full time training schedule. As of now, we only have like our Monday through Friday, nine to four schedule. Um, we have talked about. Alternative schedules may be in the future, but nothing's set in stone. So you have to have, you know, the, uh, the ability to commit to that time. Um, and then you also have to. Um, I think reside within the U. S., um, and reside for, for the Chicago courses within, uh, Chicago or the surrounding area. Right. Um, and our, our courses are designed, um, for individuals that are, you know, underemployed or a little bit more on the low income side. So we have an income cap of, um, I think the annual household income can't exceed 107, 000 per year. Um. Okay. And those are kind of the basic, uh, requirements that someone must clear in order to be eligible for the program. Um, uh, but you know, there's also other things that we're looking for in the, uh, interview and the assessment process. Um, but that kind of like comes later.
Chris Brandt:And how many students do you take each,
Grace Yao:um, Usually our class sizes are around like, uh, 20 to 30 individuals. Um, so for our IT support course, um, we usually have on average like 20 students, um, and or 20 learners. And for our cybersecurity software engineering, AWS, we. In Chicago, take around, um, I think five to 15 per cohort because those specific cohorts are, uh, blended with other learners from out of state as well.
Chris Brandt:Gotcha. And so how many cohorts do you do a year?
Grace Yao:Mm. So, um, we do many, many cohorts per year. Um, I, I'm, I'm the only recruitment person. So, um, I, I, it's a lot, but I'm happy to do it. Um, we usually have like, um, one per quarter for, uh, each of the different, um, training tracks. So, um, we usually have like a fall, a summer, and then a winter. Um, cohort for each of these, um, different, uh, and it's kind of like rolling admission. So you can, uh, uh, send in an application or apply at any time. Um, we'll just have like different cohorts that are open at different times of the year.
Chris Brandt:Gotcha. And so if, if one wanted to become a student, what, what would be the process to, to make that happen?
Grace Yao:First thing is to send in an application, uh, on our website. So it's perscolis. org slash Chicago. Um, there you'll see all the different training tracks, all the different information about each of them, like start dates, uh, certifications, all of that stuff. And then once you click into it, you can send in an application. And, um, after you apply, you'll automatically, uh, be prompted to register for our, uh, admissions overview, which is basically. an info session, um, just so you can get a little bit more information about the nitty gritty of all of our programs and then, um, after that there's an assessment, an interview, and then, uh, our decision will be made, um, and then you'll know if you're in or not, and, um, that kind of is the flow of the admissions process, but, um, usually if, uh, learners have Or, perspective learners have any questions or any concerns or things like that, um, I usually, um, have them connect directly with me, um, you know, send me an email, set, uh, set up a meeting with me, um, I'm really happy to answer any questions, and it, it is like a um, Relatively long process, there's like multiple steps that you go through. So, um, it might be intimidating, but I'm, I'm there to make sure that it's like painless and not scary, um, for everyone involved. So definitely I, um, am open to, you know, uh, learners connecting with me as well. perspective learners.
Chris Brandt:And I just want to reiterate that this is a free, uh, program, correct?
Grace Yao:It's free of charge, no, no catch at all. Cause you know, you'll see programs that maybe after you get hired, you have to pay them back, but you won't owe a single penny, um, to Priscillas before, during, or after the program.
Chris Brandt:That's amazing. Um, that's got to be game changing for a lot of folks. Um, but I would imagine, you know, on the other side of that, how do you sustain that? Like what, what, what is the, what is the secret sauce that, uh, allows you to do that?
Grace Yao:We always get that question too. It's really funny. And in my interviews, a lot of people are like, this really sounds too good to be true. Like where are you getting your money? What's happening behind the scenes? So we are lucky to have a lot of generous donors and, um, A lot of different, um, grants, um, that we get our funding from in order to, um, you know, cover tuition costs, um, materials.
Chris Brandt:Yes. There's probably a lot of things that you need from the broader community as well. One is sort of, you know, the, uh, the, um, engagement of businesses to hire these, you know, graduating students from the program. Right. And so like if businesses were interested in. You know, talking to you about, you know, placing some people, who should they talk to? What's the process there?
Daniel Ponciano:Every PerScholas site has a director of business solutions. So not just, you know, once they're done with their 12 week or 15 week program, you know, they're on their own job searching. Very, very much they're helping them along the way to navigate their job search because job search isn't easy and job search isn't fun. Um, so we do, uh, our business, uh, director of business solutions. Connects them with, you know, employers that they have, you know, met either at networking events, at hiring events, um, wherever they meet them, they have their connections with. Um, so in this case, we send, the Director of Business Solutions sends out job leads once to all our alumni, once they're done with their training programs. And this is consistent, it's not just, you're getting one email from me of these job leads and then, you know, it's your job to apply for them, right? Um, our, our Director of Business Solutions is actually really, really great. You know, they send plenty of emails with job leads because, again, there is a demand for, um, help desk roles, so there's tons of jobs out there. Um, again, the learner alumni are very much in charge of their job search, of course, but we still help them navigate that.
Chris Brandt:You probably have some great partnerships with some organizations that really... You know, do a lot of heavy lifting in that regard.
Grace Yao:I would imagine. I know our director of business solutions, Kelsey, shout out to Kelsey. Um, she's the best, um, has like the full list of like where, where everyone's like been, uh, hired at, like who she's like connecting to. It's like a very long roster. Um, I think nationally we have. Uh, 850 plus employee partners that we partner with. Um, I'm not sure about like the number specifically here in Chicago, but I do know that one of our biggest partnerships is with, um, tech systems. And so we get a lot of our, our learners hired, uh, for post graduation job opportunities through them. Um, some of their staff come to do, uh, mock interviews with us. Uh, sometimes too with our cohorts as well. Um, so, yeah, we, we have a really good, um, relationship with them. Um, I think we also have partnerships with like, um, places like CDW. Um, we, uh, sometimes work with like Microsoft or Google to set up, um, little field trips, little, uh, office tours, um, for our learners. And, um, yeah, we, we are. Very much plugged into the local tech scene here in Chicago, and we're always, you know, looking to Yeah, always looking for more. But yeah, Kelsey would be like the go to person if like any business or any company wants to kind of get involved, um, with hiring our perskolians, as we say, PerScholians.
Chris Brandt:I like that. Yeah. So, I mean, beyond that, then, you know, you mentioned, you know, donations. I mean, we kind of talked a little bit about volunteering opportunities. Um, what, what do you have rolling on that side and who should, who should people who want to donate or participate in any way, who should they talk to?
Daniel Ponciano:For sure. I mean, we do have a site. It's perscholas. org/donate. Um, but of course volunteers, I mean, we're all, all our volunteers come, um, to different agencies, different, different, um, talent acquisition teams. But, uh, like having volunteers come in for, like, mock interviews were really great. Having volunteers come in to, you know, review their resume, because of course, there, there's not a perfect resume out there, but... I always let our learners know. I'm like, it's always good to get your resume reviewed by other people versus just, you know, one or two. Um,
Chris Brandt:And getting that LinkedIn profile I think these days is hmm.
Daniel Ponciano:Getting that LinkedIn profile set up is super important. Um, also just making those connections on LinkedIn. Um, what I'd like to say is like The way you get yourself out there and the way you get your, you know, your skills out there is through LinkedIn. So making sure that, you know, all your skills are up there on LinkedIn. And we mentioned that on week one, like every guest speaker we bring in, um, anybody who comes in to talk to our learners, we make sure to connect with them on LinkedIn because that's how you start building your report, that's how you start building your network. Um, and you just never know because you never know who you're going to meet because the world is small. So you never know, you might work with this person in a few years and you already have that connection with them on LinkedIn.
Chris Brandt:I love what you guys are doing. It's, uh, you're in the right place at the right time. Um, I love that, uh, you know, you, you really plugged into the, the local. seen as well. And, uh, that, that's very exciting. And I just, I just want to say, you know, thanks so much for, for coming on and telling me, telling all of us about for scholars and, uh, you know, wish you much success going forward.
Grace Yao:Yeah, thank you so much, Chris. This was a really awesome opportunity. Um, and thank you for, um, you know, thinking of, you know, spotlighting us. We hope that, you know, people will see this, people will, you know, get excited and, you know, want to come. Uh, do our program. You got me excited. So,
Chris Brandt:I mean, how hard can you get people excited? So, yeah, so go check out Per Scholas in any capacity that you have, whether it's a learner or, uh, somebody who wants to help, uh, facilitate it going forward. So, uh, get out there and check out the website and I'll put links for everything. Yes, for sure. Thanks so much. Thank you. Thanks for watching. I'd love to hear from you in the comments, and if you could give us a subscribe, give us a like, and I will see you in the next one.