News

October 2, 2018

MAYOR BARAKA ANNOUNCES TECH TRAINING NONPROFIT PER SCHOLAS TO EXPAND TO NEWARK

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Newark, NJ – October 2, 2018 – Newark Mayor Ras Baraka today announced that Per Scholas, a national tech training non-profit, is opening doors in Newark with plans to train and place more than 200 graduates in tech roles over the next three years, two-thirds of whom will be Newark residents. Per Scholas is working with both Newark employers and a regional employer network to cultivate direct job opportunities for graduates seeking tech focused careers.

Per Scholas will open classrooms at 540 Broad Street, the historic New Jersey Bell Building in downtown Newark. The space will include three state-of-the-art technical classrooms, with twenty workstations each, along with a flexible workspace and a kitchen. Per Scholas plans to enroll approximately 100 students per year and the training will be free. Courses will run three to four months and will include a comprehensive admissions process, technical instruction, career coaching and two years of alumni follow-up and placement support.

“Newark is experiencing an explosion of technology companies choosing to locate here.” said Mayor Baraka. “One of our highest priorities is to ensure that Newark residents benefit from the city’s accelerating development, investment and job growth. The decision by Per Scholas to come to Newark is both a confirmation of Newark’s technology leadership and a boost to our goal of preparing residents for well-paying tech jobs.”

Per Scholas Newark will align closely with Mayor Baraka’s Newark 2020, initiative, which aims to connect 2,020 unemployed Newark residents to work by 2020. Additional partners and supporters of the Per Scholas space include the Newark Alliance, La Casa de Don Pedro, New Community Corporation, Ironbound Community Corporation, the Newark Public Library and Newark Arts.

Newark residents interested in applying for the free technical training offered by Per Scholas can visit www.perscholas.org/newark to submit an application. Applications are now open for the first IT Support class which will begin in January, and admissions will be conducted on a rolling basis for future classes through the year.

Per Scholas Newark is made possible with support from Per Scholas’ Champion Founding Partner Barclays, Signature Founding Partner Prudential Financial and Major Founding Partner PSEG Foundation.

“We are excited to welcome Per Scholas to New Jersey. Their work aligns closely with my Administration’s focus on demand-driven training for high-growth fields like Information Technology, and our goal of creating the most inclusive innovation economy possible,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “I applaud Mayor Baraka, the City of Newark, and Per Scholas’ employer partners for investing in New Jersey’s graduates and championing a program that will provide good-paying jobs for our residents.”

This expansion closely follows the announcement of Champion Founding Partner Barclays to significantly expand their tech operations to a new campus in Whippany, New Jersey.

“Barclays is proud to partner with Per Scholas as its prepares to open its doors in Newark,” said Deborah Goldfarb, Global Head of Citizenship for Barclays International. “Our new Barclays campus in Whippany will increasingly require a sustainable talent pipeline from the local community and our investment in talent, training and hiring solutions will play an important part integrating our business and social impact objectives. Throughout our history, we have seen the outcomes that cross-sector partnerships produce, and this new location offers an exceptional opportunity to broaden that impact even further.”

Signature Founding Partner Prudential is an anchor institution in the Newark community, headquartered there for more than 140 years, and is providing both resources and expertise to link the new training opportunities with community and employer networks in the city, including themselves.

“Per Scholas and Prudential share a commitment to developing strong employer partnerships and successfully connecting people to quality jobs in Newark,” said Sarah Keh, vice president, corporate giving, Prudential Financial. “Newark offers Per Scholas a unique opportunity to expand its proven model in a city with a diverse talent pipeline, a strong tech infrastructure and a robust network of community-based organizations, corporations and government focused on workforce development. We are excited to help bring this training program to Newark residents who are eager for the opportunity to pursue employment in the technology industry.”

Major Founding Partner The PSEG Foundation supports and invests in sustainable neighborhoods, STEM education, and safety and has a 114-year history of calling Newark home and supporting the communities it serves. “Per Scholas is bringing to Newark an award-winning and proven model that addresses head on systemic inequities and the workforce barriers too often faced by both residents and employers. The PSEG Foundation is proud to support Per Scholas’ expansion into Newark and looks forward to collaborating with this community of leaders to meet Newark 2020 objectives and to help ensure that new pathways of opportunity, skills development, training and jobs are created,” said Barb Short, President and Chief Diversity Officer, PSEG Foundation.

“Newark2020 aims to connect 2,020 unemployed Newark residents to full-time living wage jobs by the year 2020,” said Kimberly McLain, President & CEO of Newark Alliance, the organization leading the mayor’s Newark2020 initiative. “We are thrilled to welcome Per Scholas and we are honored to work with them, and all of our employer partners, as part of the Newark2020 vision to develop innovative ways to transform the local workforce and enhance economic growth in the city of Newark.”

Per Scholas chose Newark – and 540 Broad specifically – after an extensive search for its first location in the area outside of New York City. The organization was drawn to Newark because of the strength of its community organizations, commitment to education, and growing tech community. And it zeroed in on 540 Broad Street due to its central Downtown location, proximity to public transit and employer partners, and historical significance. The building is currently undergoing a transformation led by L+M Development Partners, Prudential and the Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group, the same partnership that recently renovated the Hahne & Co. building just steps away.

“We’re extremely excited to welcome Per Scholas to the mix in Downtown Newark,” said Jon Cortell, Vice President at L+M Development Partners. “Per Scholas will fit in perfectly at 540 Broad Street, a dynamic downtown icon undergoing a transformation into a mixed-income, mixed-use hub with close proximity to transit and Newark’s top employers.”

“Over the past year, we’ve had the privilege to learn about Newark from many of the community-based organizations, public institutions and local employers who call this unique city home,” said Plinio Ayala, President & CEO, Per Scholas. “We’ve learned that Newark’s assets are incredible – among them, robust fiber infrastructure, a vibrant and growing tech ecosystem, and a shared educational, nonprofit and corporate commitment to economic inclusion. My Per Scholas colleagues and I are deeply grateful for the input and support leading up to this moment, and are honored to have Per Scholas join the Newark community as a neighbor and partner.”

- NEWARK -