Project Title:
Community College of Philadelphia - NTIA/Broadband: Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program
Funding Program:
Connecting Minority Communities Program
Project Purpose/Type:
The Community College of Philadelphia (the College)'s Connecting Minority Communities project will address key digital equity and inclusion gaps through strategically targeted initiatives aimed at underserved communities in Philadelphia. The primary goal of this project is to expand access to technology equipment, services, and trainings to provide sustainable digital equity to the communities in and around the Community College of Philadelphia. This proposal includes wireless infrastructure development and expansion of access to broadband services and equipment, as well as training to provide essential knowledge and career readiness skills for job placement in the technology sector.
City/Town/Service Area:
State(s):
-
$2,948,610.00Funding Amount$2,948,610.00Total Project Cost0.00Non-Federal Cost Share
The major components of the program are: (1) Expand access to needed technology devices (desktops/laptops); (2) Increase access to internet connectivity (wireless and private LTE broadband); and (3) Digital literacy education (community digital literacy training and on-campus workforce development training courses). To expand access to technology devices, the College will provide refurbished desktop and laptop computers to students. To increase access to internet connectivity, the College will expand its broadband network at two sites in Philadelphia. To provide digital literacy education, the College will develop two training programs to expand the digital literacy and workforce development opportunities across the target communities. The first component of the trainings will be expanded course offerings at the College, including Cloud Development, Machine Learning, Data Analytics, and more. Students who complete a pathway of the coursework will receive a digital badge and certification. The second component of this training will be community workforce development training for customer service, field technician, and community outreach roles. Intensive training courses will be available, after which workers will receive an internal certification and be eligible to join the co-op.
By targeting the underserved communities where the Community College of Philadelphia's main campus and regional centers reside, the College intends to make a significant contribution to addressing the digital divide. This three-part approach will provide a multi-layered investment in the community to create long term digital equity. Providing technology devices in the form of desktops and laptops will create immediate continuity of access for people who currently need to use public devices to access internet and perform. The investment in broadband expansion throughout the community enables continued learning off campus and creates access for families throughout the community. The workforce development training to be provided both directly to community members and as an available coursework for enrolled students at the College will create long term opportunities for digital literacy and career advancement.
This project will have direct benefits to the students of the Community College of Philadelphia, as well as community members in the sites of broadband expansion and access to trainings. The project will provide broadband connection to Community College of Philadelphia students and community members in the Community College of Philadelphia anchor community by providing them with laptop computers, broadband service, and digital literacy training courses.
The recipient does not intend to subaward funds.
The applicant does not fund a consortia. The applicant’s activities do occur in the surrounding anchor communities. Details of community involvement are described below.