The goal of the Digital Skills Initiative is to create a central hub for coordinating technology training across the departments and delegate agencies that have received federal funding under the BTOP PCC project.

This includes cross-cutting training to support employment, in-depth education targeted to users’ needs, private sector partnerships to support training, and coordination with the marketing & communications campaign. The project objectives are:

• Aggregate existing digital literacy curricula to create a core curriculum that participants can be evaluated against
• Support institutional computer centers in developing training programs for the unique populations they serve
• Assist in developing a “one stop” entry point for private sector IT employees interested in volunteering as teachers
• Coordinate with the Public Computer Center marketing & communications campaign to help drive residents to computer centers

The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce is the sub-recipient of funds to complete this work, and they are engaging TEC Services as a lower-tier sub-recipient.

The Digital Skills Initiative was implemented in the following locations:

City Colleges of Chicago

• Harry S. Truman College, First Floor
• Kennedy-King College, Room 110
• Dawson Technical Institute, Room 228
• West Side Learning Center, Room 131 and 132
• Olive Harvey College, Room 3207
• Richard J. Daley, Room 1212

Department of Family and Support Services

The focus of our work at DFSS Youth Career Development Centers is to deliver basic learning courses like Keyboarding and Mouse Skills, Job Searching, Job Application, Basic Computing, Resume Creation, Basics of Email, MS Office 2010, and Internet Security and Safety

• Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted
• Central States SER, 3948 W. 26th St.
• Sinai Community Institute, 2653 W. Ogden Ave.
• The Beloved Community/St. Sabina YCDC, 7909 S. Racine
• Phalanx Family Services, 1201 W. 115th St.
• Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago, 2615 W. Division

Chicago Public Library

Training at the libraries focuses on the delivery of 15 course modules on the Writer, Calc, and Impress portions of Libre Office.

• North Austin, 5724 W. North Avenue
• Mabel Manning, 6 S. Hoyne Avenue
• Richard J. Daley (Bridgeport), 3400 S. Halsted Street
• Toman, 2708 S. Pulaski Road South Chicago, 9055 S. Houston Avenue
• Whitney Young, 7901 S. King Drive
• West Pullman, 830 W. 119th St.

Chicago Housing Authority

• Altgeld Gardens and Phillip Murray Homes
• Dearborn Homes: 2910 S. Dearborn
• Henry Horner/Major Adams – 123 N Hoyne
• Lake Parc Place: 3983 S Lake Park
• Lawndale Gardens – 2527 S. California
• Lowden Homes – 200 West 95th Street, 60628
• Charles Hayes Center: 4859 S. Wabash
• Wentworth: 3759 S Wells