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NORRISTOWN — A $45,000 digital literacy grant aiming to increase accessibility for job seekers throughout Montgomery County was awarded last week to MontcoWorks and Montgomery County’s workforce development.
“I think from the workforce development perspective, it means that more individuals in Montgomery County are going to be able to have clear pathways to careers, because we know more and more those pathways are through some type of digital access,” MontcoWorks Executive Director Jennifer Butler said.
Montgomery County has received two rounds of funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry since 2020, according to Butler. In partnership with Full Circle Computing, the monies support “foundational digital literacy programming” in the form of free, three-week sessions curated to have students gain expertise in “platforms and applications necessary for a successful job search,” county officials said. Participants can receive a certificate as a Microsoft Office Specialist upon completion.
“I think we’re finding right away that the impact is pretty significant,” Butler said. “Obviously not just looking for work, but maintaining employment.”
A class was recently held at the Keystone Opportunity Center in Souderton, overseen by Susan Clauser, the center’s director of adult education and a MontcoWorks board member.
“In a world where digital literacy skills are a necessity, the Full Circle’s three-week course built not only the skills and confidence of the participants, but also opened doors to better employment and training opportunities in the future,” Clauser said in a statement.
While the county’s CareerLink facility is located in Norristown, Butler said Clauser had received these types of programming requests for the Keystone Opportunity Center clients on occasion.
“It’s not an easy commute to get to Norristown from the Telford area on a good day, let alone if you’re struggling to find employment, and you don’t have access to a vehicle,” Butler said.
Other programming events have been held in Norristown, Pottstown and Souderton, Butler said. In an increasingly digital world, she stressed that limiting barriers and providing assistance to those in need is of paramount importance.
“We want to make sure that regardless of why an individual is not working right now that this isn’t something that’s going to stand in their way,” Butler said.
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