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ReliaTech Launches 01/17/2004
- [top]
Release:
New Tech Venture brings Jobs and Social Mission
to East Bay San Pablo, CA January 12, 2004 –
Street Tech officially announces the launch of
ReliaTech, a new nonprofit computer repair service
that employs highly motivated, certified technicians
from disadvantaged backgrounds - giving IT experience
to worthy adults while helping to meet local demand
for IT services. Street Tech (www.streettech.org)
is a nonprofit based in San Pablo that trains
low-income and undeserved individuals to become
computer technicians. Street Tech and ReliaTech
are partnering to help bridge the IT workforce
divide. Says Street Tech Executive Director, Paul
Lamb, “We are taking advantage of a growing
computer services market to put underrepresented
people to work and to pioneer a new sustainability
model for nonprofits.” The California Governor’s
office honored Street Tech for its work in 2002,
when it received a coveted Technology & Innovation
Award. Providing both computer repair, desktop
and network support, ReliaTech (www.reliatech.org)
is targeting the residential consumer, small business
and nonprofit organization as clients. The business
was made possible through a grant from the San
Francisco-based Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund.
Already ReliaTech has landed two contracts with
the West Contra Costa County School District,
and employs four graduates of Street Tech to service
those contracts and run the new San Pablo-based
computer repair center. “Our technicians
are as good as anyone you will see out there,
and our customer service is top of the line”,
says ReliaTech CEO Jessy Gonzalez. “Our folks
are hungry for the opportunity to prove themselves
and are willing to go the extra mile as a result.”
While the primary goal of the business is to become
a local leader in the tech support arena, ReliaTech
is equally serious about developing a socially
responsible business model. “We aim to become
a trusted and successful tech support business,
but we are just as committed to providing opportunities
for people outside of the technology mainstream,”
said Gonzalez. “The two goals are not mutually
exclusive, and if we don’t create these opportunities,
who will?” In line with its social mission,
ReliaTech is sponsoring a community-focused event
to celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, January
17. Called “Community Computer Fix-It Day”,
ReliaTech will be providing free computer repair
services to the public, raffling off free software
and games, and raffling five free computer systems
to a lucky nonprofit, church or school from the
local community. The event will be held from 10:00
a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the International Marketplace
(2300 El Portal Drive, Suite G) in San Pablo,
Ca. The event is co-sponsored by Microsoft, The
Mechanics Bank, and Wells Fargo, and will include
a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by Assembly
Member Loni Hancock, County Supervisor John Gioia,
and Mayor Barbara Vigil. # # #
Graduation Story 06/19/2003
- [top]
Release:
Technology Careers and Community Service Go Hand
in Hand for Two Young Men in the San Francisco
East Bay San Pablo, CA June 18, 2003 – Technology
is much more than just a good way to earn a living
for two local computer technicians, Randal Strickland
and Anthony McQueen, but a way to give back to
their local communities in a way they never imagined.
Strickland and McQueen are graduates of the Street
Tech program, a nonprofit IT training organization
in the San Francisco East Bay that assists low-income
and underserved adults with training and job placement
in the computer industry. Mr. Strickland came
to Street Tech after being released from prison
and after six months became certified as a PC
Technician and landed an internship at ChevronTexaco
in Richmond assisting the firm with a major computer
upgrade project. Upon completing his tenure at
ChevronTexaco and working part-time managing a
computer repair shop in East Oakland, he was hired
on at Street Tech to teach a class of over twenty
students the fundamentals of PC repair. Under
his tutelage, nearly 80 percent his students became
certified as PC technicians and the majority have
gone on to work in the field or continue with
advanced studies in technology. Says Mr. Strickland,
“At Street Tech I truly learned the meaning
of giving back. While I enjoyed putting my computer
skills to work in the field, there is nothing
more rewarding than passing the knowledge on to
others struggling like I was and participating
in their success. The more you know, the more
you owe.” In January Mr. Strickland was promoted
to serve as Technology Programs Coordinator at
Street Tech, and has helped to manage the rollout
of a new community computer refurbishment program
that provides free, refurbished computers to local
nonprofit organizations and churches. Sponsored
through assistance by ChevronTexaco, Microsoft,
the Renaissance Fund, and SBC, the Computer Apprenticeship
Training (CAT) program is currently working to
setup computer labs in two local churches –
utilizing students in the program as field technicians
for the jobs. One of Mr. Strickland’s students,
Anthony McQueen, is doing his part as well to
put into practice the lessons he learned in the
classroom from Mr. Strickland. After a violent
fall while in the Air Force that left his knee
and career ambitions equally shattered, Mr. McQueen
enrolled in Street Tech with a dream to use technology
as a way back into the workforce and to gain back
his confidence. A resident of the Crescent Park
housing complex in South Richmond, Mr. McQueen
began volunteering his time at Street Tech after
completing his training. He was then hired on
at Street Tech to run a tutoring program that
brings back Street Tech graduates to assist current
students in training at the school. Says Mr. McQueen,
“I want eventually to become a teacher here
at Street Tech, and to pass on my skills and passion
for learning to others in my community.”
Street Tech Executive Director, Paul Lamb, praises
Mr. Strickland and Mr. McQueen for their efforts
and contributions. “As much as I am proud
of Randal and Anthony for overcoming their own
personal challenges to become talented technicians
with a bright future, I am even prouder that they
feel compelled to give back to those still on
the periphery of the technology revolution…this
is the only way we can bridge the digital divide.”
Both Mr. Strickland and Mr. McQueen will be cheering
on a group of thirty eight graduates of the Street
Tech program at a graduation ceremony to be held
this Thursday night, June 19, at 6:30 p.m. the
San Pablo Events Center at 2300 El Portal Drive
in San Pablo. California Assembly member Loni
Hancock is expected to speak at the event. For
more information contact Street Tech at (510)
234-1300. ## # # #
STREET TECH WINS CERTIFICATE
OF EXCELLENCE 11/26/2002 - [top]
Release:
November 26, 2002
Contact: Paul Lamb, Street Tech Executive Director,
510-234-1300
STREET TECH WINS CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE FROM
COMPUTING TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
San Pablo, CA – Street Tech, a unique training
program that connects the high-tech labor needs
of employers with the skills needs of disadvantaged
adults, today was recognized by the Computing
Technology Industry Association with a Certificate
of Excellence award through CompTIA’s Excellence
in Professional Development program.
Launched in early 2000, Street Tech has been
giving adults from low-income neighborhoods –
the technical and work skills they need to succeed
in a high-tech work environment. Through three-hour
classes held four nights a week, the program has
transformed dozens of motivated individuals with
virtually no computer experience into highly employable
technicians eager to put their new skills to work.
Street Tech was one of ten award recipients announced
today in a press release by CompTIA (http://www.comptia.org).
With more than 13,000 members in 89 countries,
CompTIA is the leading global IT trade association
with influence in all areas of the IT industry
worldwide. CompTIA’s award program is designed
to recognize organizations that have helped to
improve the career potential of employees, members
of the community, and students through education
and the certification of marketable skills.
“I’m delighted to see how effective
Street Tech has been in bringing life and work
skills to people in the East Bay – and how
quickly they’ve grown as a result,”
said Loni Hancock, California State Assemblywoman,
14th District. Hancock praised Street Tech’s
work at a November 21 event celebrating the recent
expansion of the nonprofit’s facilities,
located at the International Marketplace in San
Pablo.
“Street Tech is carefully designed to bridge
the skills and experience gap that prevents disadvantaged
adults people from filling and keeping high-tech
jobs,” said Paul Lamb, executive director
of Street Tech. “The classes are low-cost
but require strict dedication, focus, punctuality
and professionalism from all of the students,
so that they will be 100% ready to take on any
number of high-tech positions in a demanding work
environment. We’re very excited about the
positive impact this training will have on the
lives of our graduates and on the firms that employ
them.”
Street Tech students come from diverse backgrounds
who have overcome enormous personal difficulties
to graduate from the program. Students receive
specialized instruction and certification in industry-recognized
training programs (A+ and MCP), along with intensive
life/professional skills training. Before graduating,
all students prepare for interviews with prospective
employers; a few also land lucrative high-tech
jobs even before completing the program. To date
over 80 percent of Street Tech’s graduates
have been hired into computer technician positions
or have gone on for additional vocational and
college-level training.
As a nonprofit, Street Tech is run in partnership
with the Bay Area Technology Education Collaborative
(www.baytec.org), Contra Costa College, the City
of San Pablo, and East Bay Works. It is supported
by a major grant from the U.S. Department of Labor
and a growing roster of Bay Area foundations and
technology, telecommunications, financial and
utility companies, including ChevronTexaco, the
Community Technology Foundation of California,
California Consumer Protection Foundation, East
Bay Community Foundation, The Dean & Margaret
Lesher Foundation, Microsoft, Providian Financial,
The Renaissance Foundation, The Richard and Rhoda
Goldman Fund, The San Francisco Foundation, Wells
Fargo Bank and others.
To say that the program’s graduates are
excited about putting their training to use is
an understatement.
“I’ve learned a lot – communication
skills, life skills, professional skills, and
how to come together as a community and family,”
said graduate Brandon Moore. “It’s helped
me put my goals into perspective. I know this
program will continue to make professionals out
of average people. That’s what Street Tech
did for me.”
Many of Street Tech’s graduates are just
as determined to help the next generation of trainees
as they are to succeeding in the computer industry.
“I will use the things I have absorbed here
by coming back to help with the next session,”
said Vanetra Green. “Maybe I can even help
start a computer session at my church for both
old and young people.”
“I want to introduce the world of technology
to older groups of Asians,” said Lisa Saechao,
a 2001 Street Tech graduate who before enrolling
had been struggling to make ends meet and held
little hope of fitting into the competitive world
of high tech. “However I can, I want to help
those who are in trouble and need a little push
to start living their dreams.”
NOTE: Street Tech is currently recruiting for
computer technician training classes. Interested
individuals 18 or older are encouraged to attend
an orientation session on Wednesday nights at
6:30 p.m. at Street Tech’s facilities, located
at 2300 El Portal Drive in San Pablo. For more
information, please call Coretta Alexander at
(510) 234-1300.
GOV. DAVIS ANNOUNCES TECHNOLOGY
& INNOVATION AWARD 04/17/2002 - [top]
Release:
SACRAMENTO
Governor Gray Davis today announced the 12 winners
of the 2002 Governor's Technology & Innovation
Awards, which honor non-profit organizations,
public-private partnerships, educational institutions,
individuals, and philanthropic programs that help
foster California's tech-based economy in exemplary
and innovative ways.
"This year's Technology & Innovation
Award winners are as diverse as California's regions,"
Governor Davis said. "These organizations
and programs illustrate why California remains
the dominant global force in technology and serve
as examples for replication throughout the State."
"The awards are given for contributions
that help foster the fundamentals needed to grow
and maintain a tech-based economy," said
Lon S. Hatamiya, Secretary of California's Technology,
Trade and Commerce Agency. "All 12 recipients
work to ensure a better quality of life for California's
communities and promote partnerships for opportunity
and prosperity."
Awards were given for innovative, high-tech applications
in education and workforce development, commercialization,
quality of life, investment, innovation, entrepreneurship
and community access to technology.
Award winners include a business incubator, a
high school principal, a workforce training program,
community tech-access programs, a public-private
science education collaborative, a trade organization,
and a science learning center.
The winners will be featured in a "Governor's
Technology & Innovation Compendium of Best
Practices" and distributed to non-profits,
legislators, and other interested stakeholders.
The California Technology, Trade and Commerce
Agency serves as the State's principal catalyst
for innovation, investment and economic opportunity,
enhancing the quality of life for all Californians.
The Governor's Technology & Innovation Awards
are administered by the Agency's Division of Science,
Technology and Innovation, a partnership ensuring
a technology driven economy for all Californians.
Recipients include:
BIOCOM/san diego - San Diego
BIOCOM/san diego was founded in 1995 and represents
more than 350 biotechnology and medical device
companies in the San Diego area. The organization
has proactively addressed significant business
and legislative issues, educated the general public,
and developed programs to help life science companies
operate efficiently and economically. BIOCOM/san
diego's Scholarship and Education Fund supports
science education in high schools, community colleges,
and universities.
Business Technology Center, L.A. County Community
Development Commission - Monterey Park
The only high-tech incubator in the nation operated
by a county agency, BTC assists start-up, early-stage
and spin-off technology companies grow and prosper
through commercialization of federal lab technologies.
Though informally partnered with CalTech and Jet
Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, BTC is located in
a redevelopment project area with 48 percent low-
or moderate-income households. BTC also hosts
a Small Business Development Center.
Chabot Space and Science Center - Oakland
Chabot Space and Science Center is an innovative
teaching and learning center focusing on astronomy,
the space sciences, and the interrelationships
of all the sciences. Its observatory, planetarium,
theater, exhibits, and natural park setting serve
50,000 students and 2,500 teachers each year.
The Science Center encourages young Californians,
especially those from low-income and ethnic communities,
to enhance their knowledge of science and technology
and to pursue careers in these fields.
Computers for Families - Santa Barbara
CFF is a community-based initiative to decrease
the "digital divide" through increased
home access to technology. It overcomes a major
barrier to student achievement by providing home
access to computers, including Internet access
and training, for students whose families cannot
afford to purchase them. CFF reaches children
enrolled in the four major school districts in
southern Santa Barbara County. Each district has
50 percent to 73 percent minority enrollment,
with Hispanic students comprising 95 percent of
total minority enrollment. Between 1997 and 2003,
CFF will provide 4,000 underserved families with
computers.
Conexant Systems, Inc. - Newport Beach
Conexant Systems, a worldwide leader in semiconductor
system solutions for communications applications,
is an Orange County philanthropic leader, helping
develop future engineering students for tomorrow's
workforce. Since October, 1999, Conexant has contributed
more than $4 million to educational institutions
and non-profit organizations promoting math and
science at the K-20 levels (including Project
Tomorrow listed below), more than $2 million to
universities for research and development grants
to develop the next generations of technologies,
and has made multi-year commitments of $3 million
to establish the Center for Pervasive Communications
at the University of California at Irvine and
$2.5 million to Cal-(IT)2.
The Connectory.com (r), East County Economic
Development Council - San Diego
The Connectory.com(r) Regional Buyer-Supplier
Network is the premier industry/technology information
resource linking buyers and suppliers across all
industries and at every level of the supply chain.
It is regional in scope but global in reach, highlighting
the entire California-Mexico cross-border region.
This free service takes the unprecedented information
navigation ability and immediacy offered by the
Internet and combines it with a high-quality database
of companies' capabilities.
Mark Morrison, Director, New Technology High
School - Napa
NTHS is a non-charter, public high school preparing
students to excel in an information-based, technologically
advanced society. The school will be graduating
its fifth class of seniors in 2002. NTHS was designated
the first California Digital High School. It is
also a USA Exemplary Technology-Supporting School.
Mark joined the staff half way through the school's
first year of operation and has been at the helm
ever since. In 2000 he was instrumental in establishing
the New Technology Foundation, which oversees
the effort to replicate NTHS in nine other northern
California communities by 2005, a project funded
by $4.9 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation.
National City Adult School's Parent Computer
Literacy Program - San Diego
Through partnerships with National City and the
Futures Foundation, a non-profit organization
established to help bridge San Diego County's
"digital divide," the National City
Adult School has implemented a program that provides
computer literacy training and a free, refurbished
computer to parents of children in area schools.
Parents attend adult education classes two evenings
a week for 18 weeks to earn their computer.
Pangea Foundation - San Diego
Pangea Foundation's Abilities Networks is a comprehensive
program to research, design, and implement information
technologies that ensure people with disabilities
can fully participate in the digital economy.
The project creates a series of online information
management tools and assistive technology applications
that enhance Internet capabilities for people
with disabilities. Abilities Networks provides
a framework for community organizations, government
agencies, businesses, educational institutions,
and other public and private entities to meet
important goals of developing universally designed
Internet applications and services.
Project Tomorrow - Anaheim
Project Tomorrow was founded by a coalition of
business leaders, educators, and community representatives
in 1996 as a non-profit partnership to address
Orange County's concerns with improving science
and math education. It was formed to prepare students
for the highly competitive workforce of the 21st
century. The organization employs a venture capital
model in making its investments by fueling innovative
ideas, supporting their development, and eventually
spinning them off through public support.
Street Tech - Pinole
Bringing technology to streets throughout the
San Francisco Bay Area, Street Tech provides advanced
technology training and job placement to underserved
and at-risk adults, including former felons. At
the end of their Street Tech journey, employed
graduates are required to give back to the program
through a community service project they design
themselves. Street Tech has both doubled its program
graduates and achieved a 75 percent job placement
rate since first opening.
UCR Community Digital Initiative (CDI) - Riverside
Housed in the Cesar Chavez Community Center, CDI
is located in the underserved community of Eastside.
CDI's services include access to computers, software,
Internet, self-paced instructional software, printing
and training while providing employment assistance.
Curriculum includes employment enrichment objectives
designed to expand the participant's employment
opportunities. CDI also serves as a technology
resource to community-based, non-profit organizations
in the area.
STREET TECH WINS CA TECHNOLOGY
& INNOVATION AWARD 04/10/2002 - [top]
Release:
San Pablo, CA – The office of California
Governor Gray Davis today announced that Street
Tech, a nonprofit program offering computer training
and job placement to low income adults, will receive
the state’s Technology and Innovation Award
for 2002. One of twelve awardees statewide, Street
Tech is the only recipient bringing high tech
certification training and employment skills to
adults from disadvantaged communities. (For more
information about the 2002 California Technology
and Innovation Award, please see the State of
California’s web site at http://www.ca.gov
Launched in early 2000, Street Tech graduated
its first class in December of that year and has
since helped dozens of motivated individuals land
information technology jobs in the Bay Area. All
of the program’s January 2002 graduates are
currently employed, and nearly 70 percent are
working in the high tech industry. Street Tech
graduates work for companies like Citibank, ChevronTexaco,
Providian Financial, Sprint PCS, the YMCA and
many others. During the six-month program, students
undergo 20 hours a week of intensive technical
and life skills training, culminating in their
certification (A+) as technicians and their transition
into entry-level help desk and computer technician
jobs. In addition, the program incorporates team-building
activities, field trips to local high tech firms
and internships with information technology professionals
to prepare students for professional work. Street
Tech helps all of its graduates find appropriate
high tech jobs, and then works with employers
for at least one year after placement to help
ensure employment success.
Street Tech’s students come from diverse
backgrounds and have overcome enormous personal
difficulties to complete the program and begin
a high tech career. “Street Tech has taught
me to be a better person,” said recent graduate
Tim McDaniels, “and gave me a second chance
to change my career, to be all I can and more.
I have grown from my experience here to be a responsible
person, and also a problem solver.” An important
element of the program is its requirement that
graduates return to contribute volunteer hours
as Street Tech trainers and mentors, roles that
many are looking forward to playing.
“I will do everything that I can to enable
Street Tech to continue to train professionals
and to grow so that we can continue to bridge
the digital divide,” said Randal Strickland,
a January graduate. “I will not forget where
I have come from. There are many more individuals
just like myself who need the break that I received.”
As a nonprofit, Street Tech is run in partnership
with the City of San Pablo, East Bay Works and
Bay TEC. It is supported by a major grant from
the U.S. Department of Education and a growing
roster of Bay Area foundations and corporations,
including American Express, ChevronTexaco, Community
Technology Foundation of California, GATX Capital,
The East Bay Community Foundation, Hewlett Foundation,
Lesher Foundation, Manpower Professional, Providian
Financial, Renaissance Fund, Richard & Rhoda
Goldman Fund, SmartForce.com, and the Wells Fargo
Foundation. For more information about Street
Tech, please visit www.streettech.org.
2001 GRADUATES TURN HIGH-TECH
DREAMS INTO REALITY 07/12/2001 - [top]
Release:
San Pablo, CA – As a young immigrant struggling
to make ends meet, Lisa Saechao held little hope
of fitting into the Bay Area competitive world
of high-tech. Until she discovered Street Tech.
“This program has taught me how to be strong,
to believe in myself, and to never give up my
goals in life,” Lisa said in written comments
about her rigorous six-month experience. “Hopefully
now I will get a chance to live out my dream of
creating an invention of my own one day.”
A unique computer skills training program, Street
Tech has been giving adults from disadvantaged
neighborhoods – for free -- the technical
and work skills they need to succeed in a high-tech
work environment. Through three-hour classes held
four nights a week and on Saturdays, the program
has transformed dozens of motivated individuals
with virtually no computer experience into highly
employable technicians eager to put their new
skills to work..
Lisa is one of twenty-five students from diverse
backgrounds who have overcome enormous personal
difficulties to become PC technician certified
and graduate from the program’s 2001 class
this evening. All have prepared for interviews
with prospective employers; a few have already
landed lucrative high-tech jobs. Over 80 percent
of Street Tech’s previous class, which graduated
in December 2000, have now worked in technical
positions and many have doubled or tripled their
previous incomes as a result.
Launched in March of 2000, Street Tech was created
to connect the hi-tech labor needs of employers
with the skills needs of youth from underserved
neighborhoods. Unlike standard “computer
literacy” programs, Street Tech provides
deserving adults with free, specialized instruction
and certification in industry-recognized skills
(A+ track), along with intensive life/professional
skills training, enabling graduates to fill high-demand
jobs as network administrators and computer help
desk technicians.
As a nonprofit, Street Tech is run in partnership
with the East Bay Neighborhood Links (EBNL) collaborative
and the City of San Pablo. It is supported by
a major grant from the U.S. Department of Education
and a growing roster of Bay Area foundations and
technology, telecommunications, financial and
utility companies, including American Express,
AT&T, the Crescent Foundation, East Bay MUD,
Lucent Technologies, NETg, Nextera Interactive,
Providian Financial, Proxicom, the Renaissance
Foundation, TechSkills.com and many others.
To say that the program’s graduates are
excited about putting their training to use is
an understatement.
“I’ve learned a lot – communication
skills, life skills, professional skills, and
how to come together as a community and family,”
said Brandon Moore. “It’s helped me
put my goals into perspective. I know this program
will continue to make professionals out of average
people. That’s what Street Tech did for me.”
Many of Street Tech’s graduates are just
as determined to help the next generation of trainees
as they are to succeeding in the computer industry.
“I will use the things I have absorbed here
by coming back to help with the next session,”
said Vanetra Green. “Maybe I can even help
start a computer session at my church for both
old and young people.”
Lisa Saechao’s comments reflect similar
thoughts. “I want to introduce the world
of technology to older groups of Asians,”
she said. “However I can, I want to help
those who are in trouble and need a little push
to start living their dreams.”
At 6:30 PM this evening, Street Tech will hold
a celebration honoring its 2001 graduates at 1500
International Marketplace in San Pablo. The event
will be attended by many community members and
hosted by KMEL-FM radio personality Davey D.
STREET TECH SUPPORTS AMERICA
CONNECTS 09/20/2000 - [top]
Release:
September 2000
New Consortium to Help Bridge "Digital Divide"
Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) and
seven partners have been awarded a one-year, $2
million U.S. Department of Education contract
to further the work of community technology centers
(CTCs) in low-income areas. The America Connects
Consortium, as the eight partners will be known,
will provide technical and organizational assistance
to the more than 400 CTCs currently funded by
the Department of Education and the many other
CTCs that have been established in low-income
communities with other funding.
"This award is an important step to insure
that everyone has access to computers, especially
those in lower-income and hard-to-reach rural
areas," said U.S. Secretary of Education
Richard W. Riley, in announcing the contract.
"The centers allow everyone to take advantage
of learning and economic opportunities that have
been beyond their reach until now."
"They are a critical piece in this continuing
wave of using technology," noted Vivian Guilfoy,
EDC Vice President and Senior Advisor to the Consortium.
"In addition to providing access, they're
showing us many successful models for how community
technology transforms peoples' lives, their work,
and their neighborhoods."
Located in libraries, schools, community centers,
community colleges, public housing facilities,
and other settings, CTCs offer computer and Internet
training and access to residents of economically
distressed communities. From their grassroots
beginning in the 1980s, CTCs have attracted a
strong following, advancing center users' educational
and career goals through hands-on training in
both information technology and career preparation
skills. A recent survey showed a 90% return rate
by center users.
But the movement now needs strong regional and
national support, said Paul Lamb, Executive Director
of Street Tech (www.streettech.org), a CTC in
San Pablo, CA: "We have wonderful experiments
and models that are pushing the envelope in technology
access and training for the digitally deprived,
but we need better technical support, more effective
curricula, improved program standards, and a closer
working relationship with private industry. The
America Connects Consortium represents a great
opportunity." The Director of the Consortium,
Laura Breeden, concurred. "The eight partners
bring together powerful relationships and many
years of experience applying technology in non-traditional
settings. We are excited about what we will be
able to accomplish together."
The America Connects Consortium was the winning
bid in a Department of Education request for technical
assistance to CTCs in education technology, research,
accessibility, and organizational development.
As lead partner in the consortium, EDC will provide
project management and coordination in addition
to expertise in education technology, online professional
education, and Web site management. EDC will draw
on existing successful collaborations with other
consortium partners, including its work with such
community technology pioneers as CTCNet and HUD
Neighborhood Networks (together representing nearly
1,000 CTCs) and through partnerships with industry
groups such as NAB and ITAA to develop skill standards
and educational pathways for the information technology
industry. Through an affiliated group, the Friends
of ACC, the Consortium includes additional public
and private sector representation.
The America Connects Consortium partners are:
Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), a nonprofit
education research and development organization
(www.edc.org), Newton, MA
Community Technology Centers' Network (CTCNet),
a national association of more than 400 CTCs,
established in 1992 (www.ctcnet.org), Cambridge,
MA
ICF Consulting (ICF), an international firm working
on community and economic development, including
technical assistance for CTCs in HUD housing (www.neighborhoodnetworks.org),
Arlington, VA
Alliance for Nonprofit Management (ANM), a national
membership association for nonprofit management
support organizations, consultants, and allied
institutions (www.allianceonline.org), Washington,
DC
Alliance for Technology Access (ATA), an association
of 41 centers that provide technology assistance
for people with disabilities (www.ataccess.org),
San Rafael, CA
CompuMentor, a pioneer in matching volunteers
with technology skills with nonprofit organizations
and in guiding nonprofits on technology use. (www.compumentor.org),
San Francisco, CA
Information Technology Association of America
(ITAA), an information technology industry association
to advance workforce development and other issues
(www.itaa.org), Arlington, VA
National Alliance of Business (NAB), an employee
education and training association for business
leaders (www.nab.com), Washington, DC
The Friends of the America Connects Consortium
are:
Morino Institute, a philanthropic organization
with programs in youth development, entrepreneurship,
and social venture investment (www.morino.org),
Reston, VA
PowerUp, a public-private initiative to give access
to technology and information technology training
to underserved youth (www.powerup.org), McLean,
VA
ThinkQuest, an international program granting
scholarships to teams of students for exemplary
educational Web programming (www.thinkquest.org),
Armonk, NY
Technology for All, a new private-public initiative
to make computing and media resources available
to nonprofits and community groups at no or low
cost (www.techforall.org), Houston, TX
Policy Link, a national center for community development,
technology, and social change (www.policylink.org),
Oakland, CA
Service Employees International Union, an international
labor organization now providing computer and
Internet access to its 1.4 million members at
discounted prices (www.seiu.org), Washington,
DC
For more information, contact: Laura Breeden
650/853-3040
SUPERHIGHWAY ONRAMP 04/27/2000
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Release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 27, 2000
Contact: Diane Sable, 510-530-7158; Debbie Bardon,
510-531-1050; or Paul Lamb, 510-749-0934
Superhighway On-Ramp:
STREET TECH LAUNCHES FREE HI-TECH TRAINING, CERTIFICATION
FOR YOUNG ADULTS, LINKS BAY AREA EMPLOYERS WITH
NEW LABOR POOL
San Pablo, CA. United in their goal to bridge
the Digital Divide, a cadre of Bay Area business
and government leaders will join 32 dedicated
students today to welcome the launch of Street
Tech, a unique training program designed to connect
the high-tech labor needs of employers with the
skills needs of young adults from underserved
neighborhoods.
Unlike standard computer literacy programs, Street
Tech delivers free, specialized professional training
and certification in high-demand computer skills
(such as A+ and MCSE) along with intensive life/professional
skills training and job retention services that
involve partnerships with employers after the
program graduates are hired.
Demand for the training is high: Over 100 East
Bay youth applied for one of 32 available places
in Street Tech nine-month intensive evening program,
which began last month in San Pablo. The students,
ages 18 to 25, will graduate as skilled computer
technicians in December, and be placed with participating
employers. Their certifications will qualify them
for a variety of high-tech positions, including
network administrators and help desk technicians.
Meanwhile, demand for the graduates is equally
as high among Bay Area employers, who continue
to face an unprecedented shortage of skilled high-tech
workers.
Businesses throughout the Bay Area are constantly
searching for skilled, certified technicians said
Robert Blumenfeld of ESG Consulting, a high-tech
recruiting firm based in San Francisco. Street
Tech will be filling a need by graduating workers
with precisely those skill sets that many employers
have been seeking.
As a nonprofit, Street Tech is run in partnership
with the East Bay Neighborhood Links (EBNL) collaborative
and the City of San Pablo. It is supported by
a major grant from the U.S. Department of Education
and a growing roster of Bay Area technology, telecommunications,
financial and utility companies, including Ascend
Communications (now Lucent Technologies), AT&T
Cable Services, East Bay MUD, NETg, Nextera Interactive,
Providian Financial, Proxicom, TechSkills.com
and many others.
California State Assemblywoman Dion Aroner, San
Pablo Mayor Barbara Vigil, KMEL's Davey D, and
Jim Rowe, Executive Vice President, E-Commerce
for Providian Financial Corporation, are among
the scheduled speakers at the inauguration, which
will take place at the newly-opened San Pablo
Community Resource Center at 1500 International
Marketplace in San Pablo at 6:00 PM tonight.
StreetTech is carefully designed to bridge the
skills and experience gap that prevents disadvantaged
young people from filling and keeping high-tech
jobs, said Paul Lamb, co-director of Street Tech.
The classes are free but require strict dedication
and professionalism from all of the students,
so that they will be 100% ready to take on any
number of high-tech positions in a demanding work
environment. We're very excited about the positive
impact this training will have on the lives of
our graduates and on the firms that employ them.
That sentiment is echoed by Danielle Plummer,
22, a Street Tech student and mother of two who
has faced enormous personal challenges. Street
Tech is giving me the opportunity to continue
my day job while pursuing my dream of a high-tech
career, she says. "My entire world has been
turned around, and it's now headed in exactly
the right direction."
For more information about Street Tech, please
visit their website at www.Streettech.org
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