By the end of the decade, over 70% of all jobs in Pennsylvania will be digitized; as you move up the economic ladder, that concentration increases. Digital skills are also more lucrative, paying 17% more than non-digitized counterparts. Verizon, Neighborhood Allies and our programmatic partners are here to help you gain the tech skills you need to Level Up!
In the face of an economic downturn, increasing automation, and a year of remote schooling, the task of closing the digital divide looms larger than ever.
Even before the pandemic, the need for digital skills has been on the rise, especially in the workplace. In fact, 82% of middle-income jobs require digital literacy and usage – jobs which make up 38% of all job postings and pay 17% more than their non-digitized counterparts.
“Yet, without access to devices and internet connectivity, many residents do not have the skills necessary to access those jobs,” highlighted Presley Gillespie, President of Neighborhood Allies. “It’s time to increase opportunity along socioeconomic and racial lines with knowledge and training that prepares our community members to enter tech-based careers.”
Building upon their earlier Beyond the Laptops hardware and connectivity COVID-19 interventions, Neighborhood Allies is now ready to close the digital skills gap. This time, they’ve teamed up with Verizon to create Level Up 412 (levelup412.org) – an initiative offering digital skills training for youth and adults in topics ranging from basics, coding and software development to cybersecurity, IT support, and applied tech like 3D printing.
“From the pandemic emerged a greater need for digitally inclusive education opportunities from Kindergarten to Adulthood for under-resourced communities to acquire in-demand skills for future jobs. Our partnership with Neighborhood Allies will provide families with devices, access to connectivity, and local remote learning programs to help solve the immediate issues accelerated by the pandemic,” Bill Carnahan, VP Verizon State Government Affairs.
Courses are carefully crafted to be relevant, engaging, and often credentialed, leaning into the expertise of partners that embody excellence at the intersection of tech and community: University of Pittsburgh Community Engagement Center and Hill Community Development Corporation, Community College of Allegheny County, Homewood Children’s Village, Womxn in Tech Pittsburgh, and BetaBuilders.
“We are proud to contribute to an equity-based approach that mobilizes our assets in engaging and preparing our under-represented and dis-advantaged populations in ultimately competing for the jobs of the future in the Pittsburgh region.” said Dr. Evon Walters, the Northwest Regional President at Community College Allegheny County.
When COVID-19 forced the digitization of everyday tasks, a large proportion of Pittsburghers were not equipped to pivot online. Facing a divide of 75,000 Allegheny County residents without computers, Beyond The Laptops was created in March as an ‘all hands on deck’ response to process laptop donations from area companies, working with Computer Reach to distribute over 1,200 laptops to Pittsburgh Public Schools and communities in need. With funds raised from area foundations and companies, the coalition later connected 1000 PPS families to in-home high speed internet. Due to the scale and community-oriented nature of their intervention, a research team from University of Pittsburgh School of Computing and Information, Neighborhood Allies, and the Homewood Children’s Village were funded by the NSF to study community-powered tech support interventions in the wake of COVID-19.
You can browse course options, eligibility criteria, and sign up online at LevelUp412.org.
