Per Scholas Opens South Side Tech Training Hub at Xchange Chicago

The site welcomed its inaugural cohort of approximately 20 learners this summer, marking a strategic expansion of Per Scholas’ footprint in the city. The program utilizes an AI-enhanced curriculum while leveraging the existing 28,000-square-foot Xchange infrastructure, which was co-founded by the Comer Science & Education Foundation, SDI Presence, and P33. By situating the training lab in the heart of Grand Crossing, the initiative seeks to align local talent with immediate workforce demands from employers like SDI Presence.

Caitlyn Brazill, President of Per Scholas, emphasized that the model specifically targets logistical hurdles such as long commutes and prohibitive costs that often exclude South Side residents from the tech sector. Beyond the classroom, the collaboration connects graduates to a national network of over 1,000 employer partners, building on Per Scholas' local track record of helping roughly 80% of its Chicago learners secure full-time employment. With additional backing from Comcast, the project signals a broader shift toward community-embedded workforce development, transforming the neighborhood into a localized pipeline for careers in cloud, data engineering, and cybersecurity.