Think about this, over ninety percent of jobs today require digital skills but nearly a third of workers in the US lack opportunities to build these skills.
Broderick Johnson, Comcast’s EVP of Public Policy & EVP of Digital Equity sat down with Houston Life’s Melanie Camp to explain the reasons we have such a digital divide in our community and what Comcast is doing to help close the gap.
According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau’s American Communities Survey, one in ten households, or 687,086 households, in the greater Houston area do not have both an internet subscription or a computer.
Johnson said there are three main reasons for the digital divide.
There’s access. Some people especially in rural parts of Texas don’t have a reliable provider like Comcast.
There’s cost. Some people need to pick between groceries or getting online. Then some people simply don’t see value in it. They don’t realize the power of the Internet and how it be used to transform their lives and their families for generations.
There’s skills. Some people do not have the necessary computer literacy to navigate the digital world.
While the first two barriers are being addressed, with companies like Comcast partnering with the federal government to make Internet free through the Affordable Connectivity Program. As well as exploring ways to partner with the state of Texas to expand networks into more rural areas.
The last barrier has been tricky to overcome.
A hands-on approach to teaching people the basic tech skills needed to maximize the real value the Internet has in their daily lives is needed to breakdown the skills barrier.
As a solution, Comcast Texas is has teamed up with community partners to offer free Digital Navigator courses that can help build the skills needed to access greater opportunities and navigate the digital world with ease.
If you would like to take a free Digital Navigators course call SERJobs at 713-773-6000 or email digitalnavigator@serhouston.org. Click this link to learn more.
Watch the video above to learn more.