The Internship Technology Academy: Solution to the Digital Divide
This program prepares students for the technology career ladder. Byte Back's first program was the "Internship Technology Academy". Students commit to approximately one year of extensive learning in the areas of Web Development or Network Administration. At the same time, in exchange for the training provided by Byte Back, students work for Byte Back. They perform a variety of real world job functions. This direct experience benefits both the students and Byte Back by allowing Byte Back to keep staffing to a minimum level, while providing students with workplace communication skills and experience that enhance their ability to attract employment.
Students are taught by volunteer professionals from the IT industry. Because interns at Byte Back work in exchange for their courses, Byte Back is able to offer additional programs to the community. These programs have been able to grow as a consequence of the Interns who help "run" Byte Back. The Internship Technology Academy is the foundation for the Byte Back infrastructure. Byte Back programs implement a unique community-based partnership model that allows it to work with organizations that already serve the target populations. A key component of this model's success is its ability to ensure that students and neighborhoods have a sense of ownership in their computer training opportunities.
The Internship Tech Academy serves primarily unemployed and underemployed adults. It has graduated 38 students who now earn between $35,000-80,000. There are currently 6 students in the program. Many other students find jobs before finishing the entire program. The program includes advanced-level classes such as HTML, Windows 2000 Server, ColdFusion, and Dreamweaver, as well as workplace skills development. Students are required to complete an "externship" or two-100 hour projects that demonstrate proficiency in either Network Administration or Web Development or another information technology specialty. Most student projects involve setting up computer labs or designing websites for other area non-profits. After program completion, students may choose to prepare for nationally recognized certifications.
Approximately 87% of students in this program are African American and African Immigrant, and 9% are Latino; 50% are women. The model of the Intern Tech Academy has been adopted by other organizations, such as ReBoot Philly. It is a model that works for three reasons: 1) It provides a low-cost education and real world job skills, 2) It allows Byte Back to offer additional programs with a small budget, and 3) It brings people of varied backgrounds (volunteers IT professionals and students) together.
For information on applying to the Internship Tech Academy, contact Debony Heart at dheart@byteback.org
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