Teach a man to fish…

By Richard Lakin

Recently, we worked on a CSR media project for a foundation that provides information technology training for U.S. veterans, individuals with disabilities, women, minorities, youth at risk, and dislocated workers. In the process, I gained a national view of how tough things are in this current economic crisis.

The CompTIA Educational Foundation is the charitable component of the IT industry association. One of their programs, Creating Futures, provides training and professional certification for groups of people historically under-represented in the IT industry. Many of these training programs are offered through community centers, schools, and other institutions.

In Illinois, the program is offered through Chicago Lighthouse, a non-profit that provides services for people who are blind or visually impaired. The training employs technology that makes it easier for people with visual impairments to see the information on a computer screen, enabling them to find employment in the IT field. We met a teacher there who had to leave the public school system because of her deteriorating eyesight, but is now able to rejoin the workforce because of her specialized training.

In South Carolina we interviewed a veteran of the Iraq war who was homeless, but is turning his life around with courses in computer repair. In Florida, there was a professional IT certification class for veterans who are about to leave the military. Despite years of command experience, many of them don’t have marketable skills to re-enter the civilian sector.

In Cleveland, the program is offered through St. Martin de Porres, an inner city Catholic high school. Students are enrolled in a work/study program that places them in computer-related internships with local businesses. One student there told us how he had saved the day at his work/study office by cleaning out the track ball on someone’s malfunctioning mouse. That may sound trivial, but any company IT person knows that this is a typical repair call.

In Detroit, with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, there is a program to retrain laid-off autoworkers for technology careers. We hear this as a perennial campaign promise from rust-belt politicians; retraining unemployed factory workers for the new technology jobs. Well, here’s a program that’s actually doing it.

Although our focus was on the U.S., Creating Futures is a global effort supported by contributions and grants from individuals, industry leaders, businesses and foundations. Moreover, 92% of its donations go directly to educating people in need.

In the communities that we visited…many hit hard by the economic downturn…we saw substantive results in local employment opportunities and workplace diversity. It’s great to see an industry-wide social responsibility project that is making a real difference in peoples lives. It is particularly relevant now.

Teach a man or woman employment skills, and you’ll create dignity, self-reliance, and economic recovery.

To view a video about the Creating Futures program, click here.

Richard Lakin is the co-founder of 18 rabbits digital media. 18 rabbits produces media for NGOs, non-profits, and CSR.