Recently, employees throughout Comcast’s Keystone Region volunteered to conduct practice job interviews with adult Per Scholas students who are completing training programs that will prepare them for technology careers. Comcast NBCUniversal invests in Per Scholas to help individuals build the skills they need for successful careers in technology. This event was part of Team UP, an always-on, 365-days-a-year effort that brings Comcast teams together and provides opportunities for everyone to get more involved in their local communities.
Per Scholas’ mission is to advance economic equity through rigorous training for tech careers and to connect skilled talent to leading businesses. Comcast serves as a founding partner to the organization to help combat the tech opportunity gap across the United States. In 2020, Comcast made a $1 million commitment to Per Scholas to scale its remote operations and train 1,000 learners — 87% of whom are people of color, 30% women, and 60% with no degree beyond high school — for in-demand technology jobs.
“Per Scholas has helped thousands of graduates across the country launch successful careers in tech through no-cost technical training,” said Virgil King, Comcast’s Vice President of Field Operations for the Keystone Region and a member of Per Scholas Pittsburgh’s board of directors. “I’m proud of my Pittsburgh team’s commitment to Per Scholas, who help provide skills training and access to employer networks to individuals often excluded from tech careers.”
Mock interviews help students prepare for their upcoming job searches for careers in IT support, cybersecurity and software engineering. “I appreciate Comcast volunteers taking the time to meet with our students and help them prepare for interviews with Pittsburgh companies where tech skills are in demand,” said Todd Derby, Senior Managing Director of Per Scholas. “They feel more prepared and are ready to take on their new roles.”
In addition to skills training, Per Scholas provides students with career support services, financial coaching, technology toolkits, and networking opportunities with a variety of Fortune 500 hiring partners, including Comcast. Comcast’s partnership with Per Scholas is part of Project UP, Comcast’s comprehensive, 10-year, $1 billion commitment to help build a future of unlimited possibilities and the continuation of the company’s long history of giving back to communities where it provides service and where its employees live and work.