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Participants say Economic and Community Development digital-skills funding boosts job and home-buying prospects
Summary
Participants in a Skills for Success class funded by Economic and Community Development said the program taught basic computer and job skills, helped participants pursue promotions, and connected them to a Financial Freedom home-buying pathway.
Participants in a community digital-skills class said the program, supported by digital funds from Economic and Community Development, taught them basic computer and job-ready skills and opened paths to financial programs that can lead to homeownership.
Booker, identified in the transcript as the program speaker and instructor, said the goal of the funding is broad: “When we received the digital funds, we wanted to be able to touch everybody that’s in our community, from the young, to the middle age, to the adult, to the seniors,” and argued that being “digitally savvy in today's society, it's a necessity.”
Curry, a 41-year-old participant, said the course’s one-on-one instruction has changed her prospects: “For me, it means the world… Having this class allows us to come in and get one-on-one instruction so that we can go out and successfully do our jobs and get promoted.” She described the training as confidence-building for those re-entering the workforce or seeking advancement.
Trimble, another class participant, said the class taught practical software skills she had not known before: “I've really never even know how to open up a Word document or used Excel or PowerPoint. Now I can confidently say I know how to use all three of those.” Trimble added the course covered professional email writing and presentation skills and recommended others enroll.
Bailey said the program connected coursework to additional financial training: “The impact of this program, besides the resumé, it's also setting me up to buy a home where I have now signed up for the Financial Freedom Program… as I finish the Financial Freedom Program, it's a home buying program that I can… be certified for.”
Gholston described broader life changes tied to the class: “I took this class, Skills for Success, for a lot of different reasons. I'm 35. I don't have a high school diploma… You gave me all the resources I need to become a better woman than what I was eight years ago.” She credited improved communication and budgeting skills.
The testimony from participants highlights how program organizers aim to use digital-funding resources to reach residents across age groups and to link basic digital literacy with workforce and financial-education opportunities. Booker said the funding is intended to broaden opportunity and “make this world a better place.”
