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February 15, 1999

Lower-Income Communities Linked To IT's Future

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By Marianne Kolbasuk McGee

Illustration by Hank Osuna

hile some companies are educating students in the virtues of IT, others are drilling down even further with community programs designed to help fill the IT skills void with underprivileged citizens.

Once such program is D.C. Link & Learn. The program, funded by business and government, was kicked off about two years ago to train and certify underprivileged teen-agers in the Washington area in certain technologies. Sponsor companies include IBM, Microsoft, and Novell. In November, the program was expanded to invite underemployed parents of young children, as well as senior citizens, to take classes that enhance their computer literacy and technical awareness and eventually lead to vendor certification.

The program's mission is to help lower-income people who don't have access to computers or resources to obtain technical training and to develop skills that can lead to jobs. "To change the nature of a community, you must work with all its people--adults, senior citizens, and kids," says Archie Prioleau, president of D.C. Link & Learn.

For business sponsors, Link & Learn is a good way to expand the limited IT talent pool. "There's a large skills gap in finding qualified IT people, and this program gives people in an underserved, underprivileged community access to training in new careers and IT jobs," says Angela Altimont, field marketing manager for Microsoft's mid-Atlantic district. In addition to donating money, software, and services to Link & Learn, Microsoft is working with its solution partners in the Washington area to host a job fair that will bring together newly trained and certified individuals and companies looking for IT talent, Altimont says.

Link & Learn's curriculum covers four technical skills areas: networking, software development, multimedia, and geographic information systems. The program is also designed to blend technical training with life skills, Prioleau says. For example, students are taught how to write resumés and the social skills needed to find and keep a job. The program provides a play area for young children of parents who are taking classes. The play area features computers, so children can also get their hands on technology.

Among Link & Learn's 50 business and government sponsors--which provide services and funding--are Bay Networks, IBM, Microsoft, the National Geographic Foundation, NationsBank, Novell, the U.S. General Services Administration, and WorldBank. Founding sponsors, including Microsoft and NationsBank, contributed a minimum of $250,000 to the program. Link & Learn's teachers are faculty members from Southeastern University in Washington and personnel from participating vendors.

The program's expansion last fall included the opening of a 40,000-square-foot facility for classes. Prioleau says about 300 people participate in the program.

Return to main story, "Educating The Masses."

Illustration by Hank Osuna