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It was once the idea the Pittsburgh’s many universities could fill the tech jobs in the area, but as this area continues to expand, help is required to fill the void. Per Scholas, a New York-based national tech training provider, is launching in Pittsburgh.
“We have made a commitment to Pittsburgh,” says Plinio Ayala, CEO of Per Scholas who received a very large grant to invest in 10 cities across the country. They knew the first investment had to be Pittsburgh because the jobs were there and the need to develop talent was too.
Mark Thomas, president of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance comments, “Per Scholas really fits nicely into anchoring that effort.”
Per Scholas will also partner with TEKsystems, a technology service provider, to hire from their Pittsburgh cohorts. TEKsystems serves more than 80% of Fortune 500 companies.
Spoiler alert: The Bay Area isn’t the only tech hub in the world. And neither is New York. According to Jim Gibbs, the owner and CEO of MeterFeeder, it’s places like Pittsburgh that have been telling the tale of tech relocation for years.
Duolingo, Pittsburgh-grown startup and the world’s most downloaded education app, placed a billboard on Highway 101 a few years ago encouraging techies to take a look at Pittsburgh: Own a Home. Work in Tech. Move to Pittsburgh.
Gibbs just secured a contract with the City of Pittsburgh and is in talks with other cities too. While this takes a lot of work, Pittsburgh offers access to decision makers through networking making it only one to two degrees of separation.
This may not have been a spoiler, but tech is bigger than the tech hubs that have claimed this title. You don’t have to be on the coasts to succeed, thrive, raise money and get big customers.
