Command Shift, a Coalition of Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, and other leading organizations, introduces the Diversity Directive, a comprehensive new digital resource to guide companies in increasing women of color in their workforce.
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As part of its commitment to help bridge the digital divide, AT&T is contributing $1.6 million to NPower to create and manage a tech community “helpdesk” for the St. Louis area. NPower, the leading free tech training nonprofit, will provide call center support for local residents challenged with technology or connectivity issues at home. The goal is to help people who don’t have the tools they need to make the most of the internet. This gift also includes an initiative in Dallas, Texas.
Set to launch in July 2023, the “helpdesk” will teach residents how to sign up for internet service, use computers, improve digital skills, and connect to valuable resources and services.
Ben Kesler, executive director for NPower Missouri, says the program will help families facing everyday connectivity issues, while also training and employing young adults with the tech skills needed to launch lucrative careers in technology.
“The time for the Community Helpdesk is now. The pandemic has expanded the digital divide. This initiative will not only provide valuable on-the-job training for emerging tech talent, but also it will serve as a much needed community resource for some of our most vulnerable populations,” said Kesler. “We’d like to thank AT&T for their support in funding this initiative as we further serve the St. Louis community.”
AT&T Contribution for Community Helpdesk
This initiative is part of AT&T’s 3-year, $2 billion commitment made in 2021 to help close the digital divide and its goal to launch digital navigator programs nationwide, bringing digital training and tools to neighborhoods in need.
The call center will help people become a part of and engage in our digital world and will also empower young adults from the St. Louis area by putting them on the other side of the phone.
“Everyone deserves internet access – it’s on us to help make that a reality. But we can’t do it alone,” said Mylayna Albright, assistant vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility, AT&T. “That’s why we’re thrilled to be working with NPower, a leader in training tech talent from diverse communities, to launch the helpdesk and bring us one step closer to helping bridge the digital divide.”
Under the grant, NPower Missouri will hire 10 apprentices from their tuition-free Tech Fundamentals program to staff the helpdesk and will rotate them on monthly assignments. Kesler said this ensures that NPower graduates are continually learning and solving real-time tech problems.
The Community Helpdesk is designed to support the many residents who struggle to connect vital communication devices to broadband internet or Wi-Fi. And this “disconnect” is especially prevalent in underserved communities that systemically lack access to quality connectivity. This initiative will provide equitable tech services across all communities.
NPower, who previously launched a helpdesk in Baltimore, says the communities expected to benefit most from the helpdesk include:
NPower anticipates the helpdesk will field an average of 140 phone calls per day, serving 3,400 people per month.
About NPower Inc.
NPower is a national nonprofit, rooted in the community, that is committed to advancing race and gender equity in the tech industry through skills training, real-world experience, support, and mentorships. The organization has helped young adults from underserved communities and veterans move from poverty to the middle class by training them with a range of tech skills and placing them in quality jobs. Students who enter the free 20-week training program earn industry-recognized certifications and graduate with the competencies of an IT professional with one to two years of experience. NPower also places students in paid internships and apprenticeships with corporate and nonprofit organizations. Eighty percent of NPower graduates get a full-time job or continue their education. NPower is a vital solution towards bridging the national talent gap that exists in the high-growth technology industry. Over the past decade, NPower has expanded its program reach and developed a robust network of Fortune 500 companies, mid-sized enterprises, government agencies, staffing firms, and a network of nonprofit partners that host its interns and hire its graduates full-time. To learn more about NPower, visit www.npower.org.
About Philanthropy & Social Innovation at AT&T
We’re committed to advancing education, creating opportunities, strengthening communities and improving lives. As part of our company-wide $2 billion commitment from 2021 to 2023 to address the digital divide, we launched AT&T Connected Learning to invest in connectivity and technology, digital literacy and education solutions to help today’s learners succeed inside and outside of the classroom. Since 2008, we’ve committed to programs that help millions of students across all 50 states and around the world, particularly those in underserved communities.
Read the full press release here: https://markets.financialcontent.com/stocks/article/getnews-2023-7-21-npower-missouri-to-launch-community-helpdesk-for-residents-across-st-louis-facing-broadband-connectivity-and-tech-issues-at-home
$7.6 Million in Grants Will Support Innovative Hiring Programs for State’s Underserved Youth
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NPower Missouri Executive Director Ben Kesler and Fall 2019 Tech Fundamentals alumnus Dematrius Kirkwood appeared on Great Day St. Louis to talk about the power of NPower.
Watch the full interview here:
NPower is excited to partner with AT&T to launch Community Helpdesks in St. Louis and Dallas this summer. We are committed to serving these communities to bridge the digital divide. This is so important to us as according to a 2020 survey conducted by Deutsche Bank, 76% of Black respondents and 62% of Hispanic respondents feel unprepared for jobs that require digital skills. This could stem from not having reliable access to the Internet, owning faulty tools or hardware, or not knowing enough to troubleshoot errors. The solution we’re providing is training a select group of our NPower students to become Digital Navigators and mobilizing them to serve their respective communities to get everyone connected!
Read more from AT&T here
Carol Cain of the Detroit Free Press interviewed Dezmond Blair, Fall 2022 alum from NPower Michigan, about his journey from growing up in a trailer park and getting his first computer at age 12 by building it from spare parts to graduating from the Tech Fundamentals program at age 21 and getting into the Apple Developer Academy.
Growing up was definitely not easy as both his parents had him very young as high school dropouts. They both worked very hard to raise Dezmond and his brother, but they bounced around a few mobile home parks along the way.
““I struggled with my own identity a long time. I never really knew what I’d like to do growing up and even teachers told me to ‘be realistic’ when I talked about my future.”
He knew he wanted to pursue a degree, but he couldn’t afford his bachelor’s. So after getting an associate’s in computer programming, Dezmond found NPower to supplement his training. Through the Tech Fundamentals program, he not only completed 3 CompTIA Certifications, but he also completed Google Project Management Certificate and practiced app coding. In fact, one of the projects Dezmond had developed is an app that helps Alzheimer’s patients remember their families by mimicking TikTok’s scrolling UI and pairing pictures and videos of loved ones with names and music that can trigger memories. So naturally, his next step was entering the Apple Developer Academy and a month-long iOS bootcamp so he can further develop his burgeoning portfolio of work.
“What I love about NPower is that it’s great for connecting with others. NPower is the only reason that I got into the Apple Developer Academy, especially as the recruiter was also an NPower alum! I’m looking forward to hopefully working at Apple as I go through the academy and bootcamp.”
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The grant from the Rocket Community Fund will support two NPower Michigan programs: the free, flagship NPower Tech Fundamentals job training program and a new Community Help Desk to assist Detroiters with digital literacy and access.
Laura Grannemann, Executive Director of the Rocket Community Fund, said NPower Michigan was given the grant because of the nonprofit’s steadfast leadership and consistent track record of supporting veterans and young adults.
“Digital connectivity is a critical part of today’s world,” said Grannemann. “Too many Michigan residents are caught in the digital divide, excluding them from opportunities for education, employment, and community. Every family deserves access to the internet and digital resources, and this grant to NPower Michigan is an important step towards that goal.”
The Rocket Community Fund has invested $2.8 million in partnerships to support Connect 313, an effort aimed at closing the digital divide in Detroit. NPower Michigan is actively involved with Connect 313, with representatives serving as Vice Chairs and members of the group’s community-led committees.
Under the grant, NPower Michigan will provide technical skills training, professional development, and job placement to veterans from under-resourced communities, their spouses and young adult Detroiters. The nonprofit has run the program in Detroit since 2020.
José Reyes, Executive Director of NPower Michigan, said the Detroit region is full of IT and tech jobs that are going unfilled because of the lack of digital access.
The Detroit Regional Chamber reported in their State of Education that, in Detroit, 53 percent of high school grads are deferring enrollment in postsecondary education. Consequently, this is leading to an ever-widening talent gap.
Trainees that graduate from NPower Michigan report an average starting salary of $36,164, representing a 234 percent increase over pre-program income.
Community Helpdesk
NPower Michigan is collaborating with Human-I-T on the design and implementation of a Community Help Desk and Hotline for Detroit residents having difficulty connecting with the digital community. The goal of the Community Helpdesk is to address the digital divide throughout Detroit and ensure that all residents have the digital expertise needed to access the internet with their devices. NPower alumni will support the program as Helpdesk Agents, utilizing their training with hands-on applications and problem solving.
A portion of the Rocket Community Fund will provide the training and free community digital support to residents throughout Detroit.
St. Louis Community College has announced students enrolled in the technology training program, NPower Missouri, can now receive academic credit for their hands-on training and paid internships.
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NPower Texas has announced it is expanding its free tech training program into San Antonio, bringing new career opportunities to veterans and young adults looking to launch tech careers.
