Comcast also donated 80 new laptops to Tec Centro students.
Adela Rodriguez grew up in an analogue world.
“I’ve always had blue collar jobs,” Rodriguez said. “Just the thought of using Microsoft Office made me nervous.”
A new job as a part-time administrator made Rodriguez, of Reading, realize that her skillset needed an update.
Luckily, her employer was Tec Centro Berks, also known as Berks Latino Workforce Development, a nonprofit that offers no-cost career training and certifications to Berks County residents looking to build marketable skills and gain financial stability.
Rodriguez enrolled in Tec Centro’s digital literacy training program.
“Every time I learned something new, it felt like a personal victory,” Rodriguez said. “I earned my Office 365 certification…it meant I had overcome the fear, and proven to myself that I could still grow.”
Rodriguez is now a case manager overseeing several Tec Centro programs, where she supports people aiming to better their lives like she did.
When Rodriguez shared her story at Tec Centro in Reading, and was gifted a new laptop from Comcast, it felt like a full-circle moment.
She received a standing ovation from about 80 Tec Centro students attending the nonprofit’s Digital Opportunity Day event Tuesday, all of whom were also gifted new computers from Comcast.
The event was to announce a $30,000 donation from Comcast to help fund Tec Centro’s digital literacy programs.
“Providing connectivity is about more than internet access,” said Ricky Frazier Jr., senior vice president, Comcast Keystone Region. “It’s about fostering community, empowering communities, and creating new opportunities for growth and learning…In line with our mission, Tec Centro Berks is also making sure this community stays connected and future ready.”
The donation will help Tec Centro provide its basic and advanced 12-week computer courses to 150 students at no cost to them, Tec Centro said.
“At Tec Centro, we deeply believe in the power of technology,” said Violet Emory, executive director at Tec Centro. “That is why we’ve made digital literacy a core component of all our training programs. Because we know that whether someone is entering the workforce, or simply trying to navigate daily life, technology is essential.”
Emory thanked Comcast for helping Tec Centro students gain critical digital skills.
She noted that students in Tec Centro’s Certified Nursing Aid program receive 20 hours of digital literacy training in partnership with Reading Area Community College.
“Digital literacy is also a key component in all training programs offered at Tec Centro Berks, including English as a Second-Language, HiSET (high school diploma), Culinary Arts, and our Allied Health training program,” Emory told MediaNews Group.
Any Berks resident over age 18 can sign up for Tec Centro’s programs.
There are currently 110 people on the waitlist for Tec Centro’s standalone digital literacy courses, Emory said.
She noted that the construction of a new computer lab has helped Tec Centro expand the program and better serve students.
Ninety-two percent of jobs today require at least one digital skill, Broderick Johnson, executive vice president of public policy and executive vice president of digital opportunity, Comcast, said at the event.
“But nearly a third of the workers in the United States lack the ability to build those skills, so we’ve got to address this,” Johnson said.
Jobs requiring digital skills also offer economic advantages, with positions that require at least one digital skill paying an average of 23% more than those that require none, Johnson said.
“That’s why the work you all do here, and that we in Comcast are proud to partner with you on, is so critical,” Johnson said.
Johnson also mentioned several Comcast initiatives in Reading, such as an internet essentials program, which offers low-cost internet to qualifying households, including 18,000 homes in Reading, and the Lift Zone program, which offers free Wi-Fi at community centers in underserved areas.
He said there are 17 lift zones in Reading.
Jack Gombach, city managing director, representing Mayor Eddie Moran, and state Rep. Manny Guzman (D-127th Dist.) also thanked Comcast for its investments in Reading.
Guzman said he also relied on a public resource to build digital literacy — he said his first experiences with the internet were at the Reading Public Library decades ago.
“What was true then is true now,” Guzman said. “Internet connectivity is not a luxury anymore, but a straight-up necessity…This $30,000 grant is going to be able to help people across the community, whether it’s something like building a resume, job searching, or connecting to educational opportunities…This grant is going to open doors.”
He thanked Comcast for their help connecting people in the city and challenged them to keep it up.
“We recognize that there are pockets across the city of Reading that don’t have connectivity to the internet,” Guzman said. “We’ve done a lot of work, and Comcast has been a great partner, but we know we have a lot more work to do.”
