Training
Educational Opportunity Centers: Technology Training for Today's Jobs
June, 2003
By Tech News Contributing Writer
With the unemployment rate climbing steadily in New York City, low-income and unemployed workers need job training outreach more than ever. And gaining access to up-to-date technology and computer training - even for traditionally "non-tech" jobs - is increasingly important.
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The state-funded Educational Opportunity Centers (EOCs), which offer free academic and vocational training to low-income adults and the unemployed, may be part of the solution. In recognition of changing workforce requirements - not to mention the shaky economy - the city's EOCs have instituted better technology courses in order to give their students access to a job market from which they traditionally have been shut out. |
New York City's EOCs are committed to bridging the digital divide through access and training. |
Why Technology?
"We're all trying to bridge that digital divide," says Wendell Joyner, the Executive Director of the Bronx Educational Opportunity Center, one of 10 EOCs in the state of New York. The centers, which enroll about 16,000 students annually, offer courses that include general education development, college preparation, occupational and technical preparation, and adult basic education. Students are prepared for work or degree programs to become medical assistants, certified home health aides, sales associates, medical billing workers, and security guards, among other fields. Computer technology is a central focus of the curriculum. "We use technology in every type of class," says Joyner.
The capability of the EOCs has been growing steadily. Students now have better access to the latest technology, thanks to the addition of the ATTAIN (Advanced Technology Training and Information Networking Project) computer labs which opened two years ago. "We'd always had an academic support center for GED students, but now each participant must attend lab twice a week as part of the program," says Joyner. Each lab has 24 stations, equipped with a Microsoft Office Suite, including Word and Excel. The EOCs train and employ students as Help Desk staff.
The Brooklyn EOC has developed the largest technology program to date. A year ago, the center began offering the first two levels of a four-level training for the Certified Network Associate Credential program in Cisco Systems. The classes prepare students to become certified to run Cisco networks for employers. "This free training would normally cost $5,000-$6,000," says Dr. Lois Blades-Rosado, Executive Director of the Brooklyn EOC. (The third and fourth level of training must be completed outside of the center.)
Responding to the Community
Each EOC has its own special niche. Joyner explains that while technology has taken off in Brooklyn, the largest program in the Bronx center is Allied Health, since there are a number of allied health companies in the area. In Manhattan, a copy-machine servicing program is popular.
"EOC students also have access to career counseling and job placement," says Blades-Rosado. In a class called Learning Access, students develop good study skills and learn valuable time management techniques. "The school thing's not easy if you're unemployed and concerned about your economic situation," she says. "We bring in Human Resources personnel to do workshops and teach students about office politics and money management. Gaining employment is a process."
Capitalizing on Program Strengths
Former students of the EOCs come back often to help current students network and even keep instructors in the know about what technology employers are using. For example, "our [former] students told us that in computerized bookkeeping they're using Quicken and not Peachtree," says Blades-Rosado. This information helped shape the direction of EOC training. Maintaining relationships with alumni helps current students access information and real tools they can rely on, even in the downturn.
"One constant in our economy is that computer technology is not going away," says Blades-Rosado.
Neither, it seems, will the EOCs.
How to Contact the EOCs
Bronx Educational Opportunity Center
Bathgate Industrial Park
Bronx, NY 10457
Mr. Wendell Joyner, Executive Director
Phone: (718) 530-7000
http://brx.eoc.suny.edu
Sponsoring Campus: Bronx Community College
Brooklyn Educational Opportunity Center
111 Livingston Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Dr. Lois Blades-Rosado, Executive Director
Phone: (718) 246-2058
http://www.bkl.sunyeoc.org
Sponsoring Campus: New York City College of Technology, CUNY
Manhattan Educational Opportunity Center
163 West 125th Street, Room 1615
New York, NY 10027
Mrs. Laura Higgins, Director
Phone: (212) 961-4320/21
http://nyc.eoc.suny.edu
Sponsoring Campus: Borough of Manhattan Community College
North Bronx Career & Counseling Outreach Center
3950 Laconia Avenue
Bronx, NY 10466
Reginald Tyrone Marshall, Director
Phone: (718) 547-1001
http://nbx.eoc.suny.edu
Sponsoring Campus: SUNY University Center for Academic and Workforce Development
Queens Educational Opportunity Center
SUNY Gertz Plaza
92-31 Union Hall Street, Room 5221
Jamaica, NY 11432
Ms. Khayriyyah Abdul-Lateef, Director
Phone: (718) 526-7485
http://qns.eoc.suny.edu
Sponsoring Campus: York College