Broadband program adds more digital literacy training
- 16 July, 2012 18:35
- Comments
A nonprofit program focused on making broadband available to low-income U.S. residents has added a job-training partner to its roster and will increase its focus on using broadband to train and search for jobs, officials announced Monday.
Connect2Compete, a nonprofit supported by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, Intel, Best Buy and several other organizations, will work with the U.S. Department of Labor to provide digital literacy training at nearly 2,800 employment and training centers operated by the agency. C2C will train employees at the agency's American Job Centers on the nonprofit's services, including discounted broadband service and refurbished laptops.
In addition, C2C will launch a nationwide digital literacy database, available both online and through a toll-free phone call, and promoted by a nationwide advertising campaign by the Ad Council, officials said. The database will launch later this year, with the advertising promotion starting in 2013.
Microsoft, Goodwill and other organizations have already focused on digital literacy in C2C, but the new partnership will enhance those efforts, officials said.
Digital literacy programs are important because U.S. residents lacking computer skills are missing out on many services, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said during a press conference.
"The costs of digital exclusion are rising," he said. "Offline Americans are missing out on education opportunities, health care opportunities, and, yes, job opportunities."
More than 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies, and many small businesses, post job openings only online, Genachowski said.
"Connecting all Americans and teaching them digital skills is critical to reducing unemployment," he added. "There is growing evidence of a skills mismatch in America."
In many U.S. metropolitan areas, there is one job posting for every unemployed person, but job-seekers don't have the right technology skills, Genachowski said.
"Some of these jobs require engineering or extensive computer software expertise," he said. "But many are so-called middle skills jobs that only require basic digital skills -- such as knowing how to use a computer, search, upload, or process a transaction."
About 66 million U.S. residents have no computer skills, said Hilda Solis, U.S. secretary of labor. Solis called for "equality and justice" in access to digital training programs.
Grant Gross covers technology and telecom policy in the U.S. government for The IDG News Service. Follow Grant on Twitter at GrantGross. Grant's e-mail address is grant_gross@idg.com.
Recommended
Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.
- Bookmark this page
- Share this article
- Got more on this story? Email CIO
- Follow CIO on twitter
-
Larry Page wants to see your medical records
-
Dual-Persona Smartphones Not a BYOD Panacea
-
After two-year hiatus, EFF accepts bitcoin donations again
-
CIOs struggle to deliver timely mobile business apps: survey
-
Spiceworks' free management software gets integrated MDM
-
CSO Spotlight: Security-as-a-Service Gaining Popularity
Organizations that are looking for security features including identity management, encryption and access control — and at the same time want to take advantage of the cost and flexibility benefits of the cloud —might check into security-as-a-service offerings available now from several vendors. Download now to find out more. -
Six Strategies That Lead to Business-Critical Virtualisation
While most organisations are able to virtualise the basic functions of its workplace, they can often hit a wall when moving beyond legacy systems to business-critical servers and applications. This report lists six proactive strategies that business specialists have cited as assisting in building a virtualised state. Find out how these strategies lead to organisations becoming the beneficiary to virtualisation. -
Saving Time and Money with Savvy Use of Flash in Automated Storage Tiering
In a sluggish economy, getting the best ROI on every IT dollar spent is the top priority for almost every business. Storage budgets in most IT environments continue to remain flat or are capped as a percentage of the overall IT spend, while data storage requirements continue to grow at an unsustainable pace. Download now to learn about the benefits of using flash in automated storage tiering.
Get exclusive access to Invitation only events CIO, reports & analysis. 
