Per Scholas, a United States–based nonprofit that provides no-cost technology training, operates at the intersection of technology, workforce development, and nonprofit service. Its mission is to expand access to quality tech careers, particularly in communities where opportunity is scarce.
CEO Plinio Ayala traces that commitment to his own experience growing up in the South Bronx, New York City, and seeing firsthand the difference a career could make in people’s lives. He chose to devote his life to workforce development to “help people build careers and create economic mobility.”
What began as a single initiative addressing the digital divide has grown into a national workforce engine serving thousands annually in more than 20 cities. Over its 30-year history, Per Scholas has trained more than 30,000 Americans with roughly three quarters of them in just the last seven years.
Ayala puts the human impact plainly: “We’re changing not just the lives of individuals that sit in our classroom...the impact is multi-generational.” For many of their learners, “a program like ours gives people the chance to change the trajectory of their future.”
A clear pathway, powered by industry credentials
To drive impact at scale, Per Scholas uses a simple, two-stage model: an immersive 12-16 week course that gets people into their first tech role, followed by their Career Accelerator Upskilling courses and certifications that help them move into more advanced, better-paying jobs. Learners in the initial programs on average triple their pre-program earnings; those who return for upskilling typically see additional wage gains of 20-30%.
Those outcomes are built on clear, CompTIA‑aligned pathways that employers recognize and trust:
- IT Support Pathway – CompTIA A+
CompTIA A+ is the on-ramp for learners new to tech and underpins Per Scholas’ IT Support training. It validates core skills in hardware, operating systems, networking fundamentals, troubleshooting, and customer service, preparing graduates for roles like IT Support Specialist, Help Desk Technician, and Desktop Support Analyst. For many, A+ is both their first credential and their first foothold in a professional tech career. - Cybersecurity Pathway – CompTIA Security+
Per Scholas’ cybersecurity training builds toward CompTIA Security+, covering threats and vulnerabilities, risk management, network and system security, and security operations. Because Security+ is widely recognized and often required for entry-level security roles, it becomes a key differentiator for graduates pursuing SOC, security analyst, or compliance-related positions. - Advanced Cybersecurity Pathway – CompTIA CySA+
For learners ready to specialize further, advanced cybersecurity training aligned to CompTIA CySA+ focuses on behavioral analytics, threat detection and response, vulnerability management, and SIEM and security monitoring. CySA+ prepares graduates for mid-level SOC and defensive security roles where employers expect practitioners to contribute on day one.
By stacking A+, Security+, and CySA+ across these pathways, Per Scholas helps learners not only enter the tech workforce but also progress from frontline IT support into increasingly specialized, higher-wage cybersecurity careers.
Why certification matters: Faster hires, better roles, stronger wages
Per Scholas has long believed that industry-recognized certifications are “game changers” in the labor market. Its internal data consistently supports that view.
While outcomes are shaped by many factors, such as prior experience, local demand, and individual circumstances, Per Scholas sees clear differences between learners who earn CompTIA certifications and those who do not, particularly in three areas:
- Time to Hire
Learners with certifications like CompTIA A+ or Security+ typically get interview callbacks faster and spend less time job searching. Certifications give employers a quick, trusted way to verify skills and reduce hiring risk, so certified candidates tend to move through hiring pipelines faster. - Job Quality and Fit
Certified graduates are more likely to secure roles that match their training, offer clearer advancement, and sit in enterprise or security-focused environments. In cybersecurity, credentials like Security+ and CySA+ often act as a basic requirement; without them, qualified candidates may never make it past the initial screen. - Wage Gains and Mobility
Per Scholas learners in immersive courses on average triple their pre-program wages. Among them, certified learners typically achieve higher starting salaries than otherwise similar peers and enjoy stronger wage growth over time.
Certifications increase bargaining power and signal readiness not just to do the job, but to grow in it. Over the long term, that translates into a steeper earnings trajectory and more resilient careers.
Per Scholas’ current certification pass rate is about 80%, which is especially meaningful given that many learners start with little or no IT experience. That level of success, combined with clear, credential-backed pathways, is a big part of how the organization helps people achieve real, measurable economic mobility.
Partnerships that unlock scale without mission drift
Per Scholas did not scale by building brick-and-mortar sites in every community. Instead, it has grown through carefully chosen partnerships.
“Partnerships are really at the heart of what we do,” Ayala explains. “It is a key strategic component to our ability to grow and expand and have greater impact.” When evaluating partners, he looks for three things:
- Strong alignment between mission and values
- Clear, mutual benefit
- A shared problem that neither organization can solve alone
A good example is their satellite delivery model. After successfully piloting a virtual training setup that streamed content from a class in the Bronx to one in Dallas, Per Scholas saw the potential to reach more communities post-pandemic. They identified organizations “who had excess capacity, who were very good in workforce development. They just didn’t know how to do tech training.”
In New York, Per Scholas started with a small group of such partners. Those organizations host learners locally, provide space and wraparound support, and handle recruitment. Per Scholas streams the tech training and manages job attainment services.
“It allows us to increase the ratio between instructors and learners. It brought costs down,” Ayala notes. Most importantly, “it allows us to be able to serve people that we wouldn’t have been able to serve but for the partner… It’s a perfect win-win.”
This partnership strategy is reinforced by a blended delivery model. Roughly half of Per Scholas learners now train in person and half through virtual or hybrid formats. At one point, the organization considered shifting to virtual-only, but quickly realized that would not meet all learners where they are. Striking a balance across delivery methods made their ambitious growth targets more realistic without compromising quality or support.
Using AI as a force multiplier
Per Scholas has moved quickly to embrace artificial intelligence as a tool for scale, both operationally and instructionally.
“Quickly and early on, we decided that we were going to embrace AI,” Ayala explains. “We viewed it as a tool to enhance our work, to increase impact… to make us better so that we can serve more people more effectively.”
One of the most important early use cases was job matching. As the number of graduates and employer partners grew, manually connecting candidates to open roles became a bottleneck. In response, Per Scholas partnered with AdeptID to build a matching bot that could automate and improve this process.
The results have been significant:
- A roughly 70% reduction in candidate matching time, from about a week to less than two days
- 71% of learners reporting increased confidence that their job matches are a good fit
Per Scholas has also embedded AI literacy into every course. The organization undertook a broad curriculum refresh to ensure every learner, regardless of pathway, gains a working understanding of core AI concepts, responsible use, and practical applications, as well as how AI is reshaping roles in IT and cybersecurity.
Per Scholas refines this strategy as technology evolves, but the focus remains on giving every graduate the fluency to use AI tools thoughtfully and productively alongside their technical skills.
Learners have embraced this shift, and Ayala believes it gives them an edge in the labor market, particularly in roles where AI is already augmenting support, operations, and security workflows.
CompTIA's role: Credentials, insights, and support
CompTIA has played a central role across Per Scholas’ model, from curriculum design to national expansion.
“Almost every one of our courses has a CompTIA credential attached to it,” Ayala explains, because CompTIA certifications are “widely recognized as a validator in the space for employers.” What began with programs primarily aligned to CompTIA A+ has grown into a broader catalog that now includes Security+, CySA+, and additional certifications that map to in‑demand roles.
For learners, the value is straightforward:
- Certifications validate the skills they’ve gained in training
- Employers see a trusted benchmark rather than just a course completion
- Certified graduates typically find jobs faster and at higher wages
Beyond exams and objectives, the collaboration between Per Scholas and CompTIA runs deep. “The partnership between the CompTIA product team and our curriculum development team is amazing,” says Ayala. Through ongoing dialogue, Per Scholas gains early insight into what’s trending in the industry and how skills needs are shifting. That input helps shape course updates so graduates are prepared for the jobs and security challenges most relevant today.
CompTIA has also played a crucial role in Per Scholas’ funding and national expansion. A grant from CompTIA’s Creating IT Futures Foundation enabled Per Scholas to launch in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Washington, DC an early test of whether its model could scale beyond New York.
Within a few years, the data was clear: graduation and job attainment outcomes in the new markets were comparable to those in New York. That validation encouraged additional funders to invest and helped accelerate Per Scholas’ national growth.
Ayala is explicit about the importance of that support: “I credit CompTIA in many ways for getting us to this point. I’m not sure without that funding, the growth would have happened as quickly as it did.” In his words, “We are where we are now because of CompTIA.”
By combining mission-driven training, credential-backed pathways, AI-enabled operations, and a deep partnership with CompTIA, Per Scholas is not only opening doors into technology, it’s building durable, multi-generational change in the communities it serves.
Ready to explore how CompTIA can help you build or scale high-impact tech training programs? Contact us to discuss partnership options, curriculum alignment, and certification pathways that can support your learners’ success.