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Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Henry J. Gomez
Plain Dealer Reporter
Cleveland's efforts to narrow its wide and rusty digital divide will get a boost today as computer training centers open in two East Side neighborhoods.
With work stations that can accommodate more than two dozen, the centers will be guinea pigs in an ambitious $22 million economic development plan to teach thousands of low-income residents skills that range from booting up a PC to navigating the World Wide Web.
Cleveland, the nation's poorest big city, is trying to catch up to the rest of the digital world. While the U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that 85 percent of the country has home Internet access, census figures show less than half of Clevelanders do.
The goal of the Computer Learning in My Backyard program is to have one training site in each of Cleveland's 21 wards and in five years to certify 30,000 students, many of whom the city hopes to help place in entry-level jobs that require computer skills.
Opening today are centers at the Famicos Foundation's Notre Dame site, 1325 Ansel Road, in Ward 8 and at the Ash bury Sen ior Community Center, 11011 Ashbury Ave., in Ward 9. Melodie Mayberry- Stewart, the city's chief technology officer, said six-week classes of 24 to 28 stu dents at each center should begin by next week.
"We want to get these first two centers up and running to see how they do," Mayberry-Stewart said. "If all goes well, we'll move forward with plans in the other wards."
There's no formal application to enroll, though Mayberry-Stewart said the classes are meant for residents at or below poverty level.
Private and public money will be used for the program, which the city estimates will cost more than $600 per student.
Mayberry-Stewart said the classes will be taught by instructors from Cuyahoga Community College.
Graduates will become certified in basic computer, software and Internet skills.
Certiport Inc., a Utah firm that specializes in computer training certification programs, is partnering with the city to provide what's called the IC3 certification.
"Our program allows individuals who have very little experience to become effective," said David Saedi, president and chief executive of Certiport, which is in town today to visit the new centers. "It's for those very people who have a digital literacy problem."
In addition, Mayberry-Stewart said she has already talked with several local companies about hiring program graduates. Jobs could range from basic call-center positions to jobs with potential for advanced duties, depending on the applicant's level of education.
"This program is more than just closing the digital divide," she said. "It's developing a work force. It's addressing the poverty issue."
hgomez@plaind.com, 216-999-5405
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