Expanding the Scale and Reach of Per Scholas in a Post-COVID Environment
Per Scholas has a proven track record of lifting the earnings of individual workers over the long-term. Per Scholas is a no-cost occupational skills training program that has prepared and matched more than 15,000 graduates for information technology (IT) and other tech careers with leading employers nationwide.
Per Scholas's model has been evaluated several times, including in RCTs, and has been found to produce large earning gains for participants, maintained up to six years after enrolling. On average, Per Scholas graduates earn four times their pre-training wage in their first job after Per Scholas.
AIR and Per Scholas have established a learning partnership to explore how best to provide online and/or hybrid training of its students. Current priorities for our partnership include:
- Strengthening the design, delivery, and outcomes of Per Scholas’ fully online Borderless Classroom training;
- Researching and understanding the optimal blend of online and in-person instructional activities for Per Scholas training programs; and
- Exploring the integration of intelligent tutoring systems into Per Scholas programming to increase student engagement, persistence, and success, as well as potentially expand program access to adults with skill needs.
The PROMISE Center works to develop, build, and measure the impact of innovations that can increase economic opportunity and mobility in the U.S. at scale. The PROMISE Center is directly supported by the AIR Equity Initiative, AIR’s $100+ million five-year investment to advance equity in several important areas: workforce development, education, public safety and policing, and health. Learn more.
