Tag Archives: inclusive tech training

Media Advisory: Byte Back Brings National Digital Inclusion Week to DC with Congresswoman Norton and Mayor Bowser

WASHINGTON, D.C. /ScoopCloud/ -- Local residents and nationally known digital inclusion leaders are celebrating National Digital Inclusion Week October 7 to 11. Though Washington, D.C. is a capital of innovation and technology, the District still struggles with a stark digital divide. Byte Back is a nationally recognized tech nonprofit that has led digital inclusion in the D.C. area for more than 20 years.

This year, the organization is hosting its 3rd annual DC Community Tech Day, leading D.C.'s National Digital Inclusion Week activities. The event will feature U.S. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, and tech career workshops for Byte Back students, alumni, and other community members.

The fourth annual National Digital Inclusion Week includes about 40 events around the country and is organized by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, which has more than 385 members representing 44 states and the District. Byte Back's participation is part of a nationwide effort to close digital gaps, from California to the Carolinas.

"We have the ability to bridge the digital divide. We have the resources. We have the know-how. What we're missing is being brave enough and committed enough to do so," said Elizabeth Lindsey, Byte Back executive director, in her recently released TEDx talk, a widely shared resource on digital inclusion.

"Not everyone wants to code, but everyone needs basic and intermediate tech skills in order to thrive," Lindsey said, explaining the need for access to tech training in today's digital economy.

EVENT: DC COMMUNITY TECH DAY
When: Wednesday, October 9, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Where: Byte Back, 899 North Capitol Street NE Suite 850, Washington, DC 20002

What: This event brings together adult learners for an introduction to tech careers, job skills, and networking practice.

Who:
* U.S. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, representing the District of Columbia
* D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser
* Elizabeth Lindsey, Byte Back executive director - national digital inclusion thought leader, recently recognized in The Root 100 most influential African Americans
* About 80 students and alumni, who are gaining tech skills for living-wage careers that use technology (Note: Students and program alumni will be available for press interviews)

Media Contact: Please contact Yvette Scorse, communications director, yscorse@byteback.org, (301) 456-4699, to arrange in-person interviews and/or filming on location.

ABOUT BYTE BACK, INC:

Byte Back provides a pathway of inclusive tech training that leads to living-wage careers. As a leader in digital inclusion since 1997, Byte Back has helped hundreds of graduates launch living-wage careers that use technology. In 2018, 50 graduates were hired, earning $27,599 more per year than before Byte Back training. Please see more at http://www.byteback.org/.

ABOUT DIGITAL INCLUSION, FROM THE NATIONAL DIGITAL INCLUSION ALLIANCE:

"Digital inclusion" refers to the activities necessary to ensure that all individuals and communities, including the most disadvantaged, have access to and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). This includes 5 elements: 1) affordable, robust broadband internet service; 2) internet-enabled devices that meet the needs of the user; 3) access to digital literacy training; 4) quality technical support; and 5) applications and online content designed to enable and encourage self-sufficiency, participation and collaboration. Digital inclusion must evolve as technology advances. Digital inclusion requires intentional strategies and investments to reduce and eliminate historical, institutional and structural barriers to access and use technology. Please see more at https://www.digitalinclusion.org/.

Local residents and nationally known digital inclusion leaders are celebrating National Digital Inclusion Week October 7 to 11. Though Washington, D.C. is a capital of innovation and technology, the District still struggles with a stark digital divide. Byte Back is a nationally recognized tech nonprofit that has led digital inclusion in the D.C. area for more than 20 years.

Related link: https://byteback.org/

Kapor Center Awards $1 Million to Fund Diversity in Tech – Byte Back Awarded $100,000 in National Tech Done Right Challenge

WASHINGTON, D.C. /ScoopCloud/ -- The Kapor Center announced the winners of its inaugural $1 million Tech Done Right Challenge grant competition, including the Washington D.C. non-profit, Byte Back. The challenge identified 10 social impact organizations who are building a more diverse and inclusive tech economy locally and nationally. Each winning organization will receive a $100,000 grant.

"We were thrilled with the number of strong applicants from all over the country for this timely challenge," remarked Cedric Brown, Chief Foundation Officer at the Kapor Center. "We're confident that these grants can propel the important work of these 10 organizations to the next level. Together we're moving toward a tech sector that provides robust opportunities for previously untapped and overlooked talent."

"Our economy has changed, and Byte Back is providing the training for individuals who have been left behind," said Elizabeth Lindsey, executive director of Byte Back. "Thanks to the Tech Done Right Challenge and our partnership with the Kapor Center, we're building a more equitable and inclusive tech sector. We're thinking differently about diversity, and together we're changing the face of tech."

The Tech Done Right Challenge launched in March 2019 to galvanize cross-sector collaborations in cities across the U.S. to build diverse and inclusive tech ecosystems. A key requirement of the challenge is to find solutions that embrace innovation through prototypes, experimentation and iteration through public and private collaborations. The Tech Done Right Challenge is possible through the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The challenge asked organizations to answer: "What is your innovative solution to build a diverse and thriving inclusive tech ecosystem in your community?"

Winning Organizations:

The following are the winning organizations and their focus cities for implementing innovative solutions to diversify the technology industry:
* Baltimore Corps | Baltimore
* Bixel Exchange | Los Angeles
* blackcomputerHER Data Science Executives | Houston
* Byte Back | Washington
* Generation Titans | Albuquerque, N.M., Austin, Texas and Pittsburgh
* Goodie Nation | Atlanta
* HBCUvc | National
* Oakland Codes | Oakland, Calif.
* Project United Knowledge | Kansas City, Mo.
* The Knowledge House | Bronx, N.Y.

Winner Breakdown:
A total of 120 applications from 48 U.S. cities were submitted, focused on interventions at the Post-Secondary, Tech Workforce, and Entrepreneurship & Venture Capital segments. The 10 award winners come from a range of locations across the Midwest, the South, and from both coasts. All of the winning organizations focus on increasing representation of underrepresented people of color in our tech economy via tech talent or entrepreneurship/venture capital programs.

Background:
In 2018 the Kapor Center released the Leaky Tech Pipeline, a research framework that identifies the systemic barriers which underlie the lack of diversity in tech. While the tech sector has the potential to bring jobs, innovation and wealth to communities, far too many women and people of color remain excluded from the technology economy as tech workers, founders or investors. The Tech Done Right Challenge seeks to reverse this trend by supporting trailblazers who have holistic solutions to build inclusive tech economies.

About the Kapor Center:
The Kapor Center is a recognized leader in the movement to enhance diversity and inclusion in the technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem through increasing access to tech and STEM education programs, conducting research on access and opportunity in computing, investing in community organizations and gap-closing social ventures and increasing access to capital among diverse entrepreneurs. For more information, visit www.kaporcenter.org.

About Byte Back:
Byte Back, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, provides a pathway of inclusive tech training that leads to living-wage careers. As a leader in digital inclusion since 1997, Byte Back has helped hundreds of graduates launch living-wage careers that use technology. In 2018, 50 graduates were hired, earning $27,599 more per year than before Byte Back training. Please see more at byteback.org.

*PHOTO link for media: https://www.send2press.com/300dpi/19-0712s2p-byte-back-grads-300dpi.jpg
*Photo caption: Byte Back students celebrate during the Summer Graduation ceremony in June. The $100,000 award from the Kapor Center's Tech Done Right Challenge will support students on a pathway of tech training and into living-wage careers.

The Kapor Center announced the winners of its inaugural $1 million Tech Done Right Challenge grant competition, including the Washington D.C. non-profit, Byte Back. The challenge identified 10 social impact organizations who are building a more diverse and inclusive tech economy locally and nationally. Each winning organization will receive a $100,000 grant.

Related link: https://byteback.org/

DC Startup Sorcero Brings New Tech to Adult Learners at Byte Back

WASHINGTON, D.C. /ScoopCloud/ -- Learning technology skills requires technology. That's why Byte Back and Sorcero recently started teaming up to integrate AI software that makes learning and retaining information easier in the tech classroom.

Byte Back, a D.C.-based nonprofit with 22 years of experience providing inclusive tech education, and Sorcero, a D.C.-based startup, are a natural fit. This is the first community-serving direct-impact nonprofit that Sorcero has partnered with to test its software, and they see it as an opportunity to enhance their product while also making a positive impact in the community.

In Byte Back's CompTIA A+ course, which started last month, students use official A+ guides with more than 1,300 pages of material. It takes time and repetition to master it all and be ready for two challenging certification exams.

With Sorcero, it's easier and quicker. Students enter questions and instantly get answers sourced directly from the curriculum, guides, and the instructors themselves.

"Unlike using a traditional search engine, where there can be too much information, Sorcero is much more focused," said Andrew Quilpa, Byte Back technical instructor, who first piloted the software in his CompTIA IT Fundamentals course in fall 2018.

"They get the answers that will help them ultimately pass the test," said Quilpa, adding that it makes studying at home easier because they can use the software on computers, through email, or even through text message. When they're ready for job interviews, they can refer back. And, when they start their first tech job, they can continue learning and get answers to help them succeed in the IT workplace.

The software also puts tech within reach for adults who may not have access to devices at home. "For Byte Back students who don't have a computer at home, Sorcero is a huge help because they can use it through SMS," Quilpa said.

For Sorcero, testing at Byte Back is an essential part of creating a product that is useful for diverse users with an array of tech skills. "Often times, we have found that technology is not always optimized for the lives of people like the students of Byte Back - people who may not have laptops at home, who may not be able to spend as much time using tech," said Dipanwita Das, the CEO and founder of Sorcero. "We want Byte Back students to help inform the design of Sorcero from the very beginning."

The startup is donating their product to the nonprofit, looking to make an impact, with a "community of learners to make sure they don't continue to be left out," Das said.

"Providing students with a flexible learning tool they can use anywhere and anytime greatly enhances their chances of succeeding in class," said Mark Rivera, education manager at Byte Back.

ABOUT BYTE BACK:

Byte Back, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, provides a pathway of inclusive tech training that leads to living-wage careers. As a leader in digital inclusion since 1997, Byte Back has helped hundreds of graduates launch living-wage careers that use technology. In 2018, 50 graduates were hired, earning $27,599 more per year than before Byte Back training. See more at https://byteback.org/.

ABOUT SORCERO:

Sorcero is a cognitive technology company that has reimagined knowledge and learning to help people do remarkable things. Developed by MIT Media Lab veterans, Sorcero is turning chatbots, virtual assistants and search on their heads. Uniquely transparent, Sorcero supercharges performance with frictionless access to contextual answers, knowledge and learning-making people smarter and more productive. Instantly. See more at https://www.sorcero.com/.

Learning technology skills requires technology. That's why Byte Back and Sorcero recently started teaming up to integrate AI software that makes learning and retaining information easier in the tech classroom.

Related link: https://byteback.org/

Byte Back Wins CDN $1 Million TD Grant for Expansion

WASHINGTON, D.C. /ScoopCloud/ -- Today, TD announced Byte Back as one of 10 recipients of the inaugural TD Ready Challenge grants. Each recipient organization will receive CDN $1 million (USD $775,000) to help them scale innovative solutions aimed at preparing North Americans for the economy of the future.

With a focus on financial security, the recipients of this year's Challenge will apply the grants to solutions they have designed to help workers transform their existing skills and build new ones and help reduce barriers to STEM training for underrepresented groups to open doors for individuals who have the greatest risk of falling behind due to rapid technological advancement.

Byte Back is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that connects communities with inclusive tech training and pathways into living-wage careers. With the CDN $1 million investment, Byte Back will expand into Baltimore in 2019 and begin to fully explore a national expansion. This is the first time in 21 years that the nonprofit has expanded outside the Washington, D.C. region.

The technology skills gap Byte Back addresses isn't unique to its home region. In the U.S., 28 million adults are living in poverty. Since 2002, the U.S. economy has lost 28 million low tech jobs that have disappeared or now require medium and high tech skills. Byte Back provides a unique solution for adults who haven't had the opportunity to use technology in their careers.

"The changing workplace presents new opportunities for a prosperous economy, but we must grow in ways that allow everyone a chance to succeed," says Bharat Masrani, Group President and Chief Executive Officer, TD Bank Group. "Fortunately, there is no shortage of innovative ideas to support greater income stability - ideas that can open doors and help people feel more confident in the future."

With this investment from TD, Byte Back will train at least 72 people in Baltimore in the first year and set the stage for the organization's national expansion.

"Thousands of adults are still struggling to succeed in the digital economy, and we cannot leave them behind. They deserve education opportunities, they deserve to fully participate in a digital world, and they deserve living-wage careers," said Elizabeth Lindsey, executive director of Byte Back. "We're really dreaming now about what it looks like for our impact to expand to hundreds and thousands more people across the country."

About the TD Ready Challenge:

Acting as a springboard for social innovation, TD established the TD Ready Challenge to identify and support scalable solutions to a specific issue identified within The Ready Commitment. In its inaugural year, the issue of focus for the TD Ready Challenge was helping to increase income stability and encouraged non-for-profit organizations across North America that are working on innovative solutions to help increase income stability and help improve the skills people will need for the economy of the future. In total, TD granted $10 million (CDN) under the 2018 Challenge.

From over 200 submissions, TD shortlisted 15 semi-finalists who presented their solutions on September 7, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario.

These semi-finalists were then judged in two rounds by a panel composed of TD executives and external subject matter experts, including Linda Nazareth, economist and trends expert, and Jennifer Tescher, president and CEO, Centre for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI). Ten finalists were then chosen by the panel at the close of the second round.

About Byte Back:

Byte Back connects communities with inclusive tech training and pathways into living-wage careers. For 21 years, its innovative training pathway has helped hundreds of graduates move from low tech skills to recognized certifications and into careers that use technology.

Byte Back's TD Ready Challenge Solution: Byte Back Ready - Proven Pathways to Economic Success
* Byte Back will scale its inclusive training pathway from the Washington, DC region into Baltimore, helping more people enter life-changing careers and fully participate in the digital economy.

Learn more about Byte Back at: https://byteback.org/

2018 TD Ready Challenge grantees include:
* ACCES Employment (Canada - Ontario): Women in Technology
o Recognizing emerging high-growth areas in STEM, ACCES Employment will provide immigrant women with training, employer connections and experiential learning to help secure and retain competitive employment in programming and cybersecurity, in collaboration with Seneca College.

* Canada Learning Code (Canada - Ontario): Unlocking the Power of Code - Digital Literacy Education for Adults
o This education initiative will offer hands-on, accessible learning experiences for mid-career individuals to increase their digital literacy and technological knowledge to thrive in a rapidly-changing job market, while acting as a bridge for adults interested in making a career shift into technology.

* Ecole des entrepreneurs de Quebec (Canada - Quebec): Previsio Software with Financial Literacy Training
o To address the challenge of financial forecasting for entrepreneurs as they evaluate the viability of their projects, this program will enhance capabilities and tools to help increase entrepreneurs' financial literacy and enable them to make strategic decisions based on business results.

* Immigrant Access Fund Canada (Canada - Alberta): Increasing Income Stability for Skilled Immigrants
o This program will increase income stability for newcomers with a program providing low-interest loans of up to $10,000 to skilled immigrants to fund the costs of training and recertification, while offering support and guidance to unlock participants' past education and experience.

* JEVS Human Services (US - Pennsylvania): JEVS-College for America - Greater Philadelphia Area
o A collaborative effort with Southern New Hampshire University's College for America (CfA), this initiative will address the inaccessibility of post-secondary education for those from low-income families by offering the opportunity for individuals to attend employer-driven degree programs, while providing direct access to living wage opportunities.

* Jobs for the Future (JFF) and Audacious Futures (Cross-Border - Massachusetts): Scaling AudaciousYou - the Google Maps for the Future of Work and Learning
o AudaciousYou, a personalized, research-backed, AI-powered upskilling/reskilling solution, will be scaled to help empower workers at risk from automation and a changing world of work to develop future-ready skills and connect to job opportunities by employing a holistic approach, including video and AI technologies.

* Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) (US - Pennsylvania): Creating Income Security through Technology-Based Workforce Development
o A partnership between PHMC and Homeworks N' Camden, a local nonprofit, this initiative will work with young adults to build towards a sustainable future by blending intensive coding with technology skills through a nationally-recognized workforce development curriculum.

* Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology (Canada - Ontario): TD-HELIX Transformation Initiative
o To tackle the challenge of reskilling mid-career professionals whose jobs might be impacted by changes in the labour market, the program will change their 'career DNA' and improve individuals' skills as creative thinkers, problem-solvers, communicators and collaborators.

* The WoodGreen Foundation (Canada - Ontario): Accelerating Possibilities - Creating Sustainable Pathways to Success in a Changing Landscape
o This initiative will bring together and scale four of WoodGreen's most successful advancement programs in an innovative accelerator program to position mid-career participants for financial stability and sustainable employment.

TD Ready Challenge is part of The Ready Commitment, a multi-year program targeting CDN $1 billion (US $775 million) in total by 2030 towards community giving.

To learn more about the grant recipients and the TD Ready Challenge, visit https://www.td.com/corporate-responsibility/ready-commitment/ready-challenge.jsp.

Additional details about The Ready Commitment can be found at https://www.td.com/corporate-responsibility/ready-commitment/index.jsp

About TD Bank Group:
The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries are collectively known as TD Bank Group ("TD" or the "Bank"). TD is the sixth largest bank in North America by branches and serves more than 25 million customers in three key businesses operating in a number of locations in financial centres around the globe: Canadian Retail, including TD Canada Trust, TD Auto Finance Canada, TD Wealth (Canada), TD Direct Investing, and TD Insurance; U.S. Retail, including TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank(r), TD Auto Finance U.S., TD Wealth (U.S.), and an investment in TD Ameritrade; and Wholesale Banking, including TD Securities. TD also ranks among the world's leading online financial services firms, with approximately 12 million active online and mobile customers. TD had CDN$1.3 trillion in assets on July 31, 2018. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades under the symbol "TD" on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges (NYSE:TD).

Learn more about Byte Back:
Learn more at: https://byteback.org/

IMAGE LINKS FOR MEDIA:
(1) Send2Press.com/300dpi/18-1024s2p-ByteBack-TDpitch-300dpi.jpg
Caption: Elizabeth Lindsey, Byte Back executive director, pitches for the TD Ready Challenge on September 25 in Toronto. Byte Back was one of over 200 applicants for the grant and is one of 10 $CDN 1 million winners.

TWITTER: @ByteBackDC @TD_Canada #TDreadyChallenge #STEMeducation

VIDEO (YouTube):
https://youtu.be/dEPC_JKOhV8

Today, TD announced nonprofit Byte Back, Inc. as one of 10 recipients of the inaugural TD Ready Challenge grants. Each recipient organization will receive CDN $1 million (USD $775,000) to help them scale innovative solutions aimed at preparing North Americans for the economy of the future.

Related link: https://byteback.org/