Tech Impact Receives $200,000 for Workplace Training Program

Tech Impact received a $200,000 unrestricted grant from Bank of America to go towards its ITWorks program, a 16-week technology training course for disadvantaged adults that culminates in an internship. The idea behind the program, according to the Tech Impact blog, is to prepare individuals for increasingly technology-focused workplaces.

The nonprofit technology assistance firm is based in Philadelphia but operates globally. It won the grant through Bank of America’s Charitable Foundation’s Neighborhood Builder’s Award, from which the the West Philadelphia-based nonprofit People’s Emergency Center (PEC) also received funding.

The programs is 16 weeks long, and the first 11 weeks are spent learning PC configuration, networking skills, troubleshooting, customer service and communication skills. For the last five weeks, trainees intern for  a corporation with an ongoing relationship with Tech Impact. 25 percent of interns are retained for employment, according to the ITWorks website.

The award was presented outside of the Rowan House, a transitional housing facility in West Philadelphia, where PEC set up a pop-up computer lab with computers and wireless internet access.

(Image via Tech Impact blog)