Technology Empowerment at Rice St. Library takes aim at digital divide

Joe Crowe is one of 30 Community Technology Empowerment Program (CTEP) members who provide computer literacy training to members of the community at a number of profits. Above, Crowe teaches a class at the Rice Street Library at 1011 Rice Street. (Photo by Jan Willms)

By JAN WILLMS

Need some help filling out an online application? Want to learn how to attach your resume to an email and send it off to an employer? Want to brush up on your typing skills?

You can learn all of these skills and many more computer programs at the Rice Street Library at 1011 Rice St. The Community Technology Empowerment Program (CTEP), which was started in 2006, is designed to assist in these areas.

“CTEP is an AmeriCorps program that focuses on providing computer literacy training to members of the community at a number of nonprofits,” said Joe Crowe, one of 30 CTEP members in the Twin Cities metro. It is also under the auspices of the St. Paul Neighborhood Network. He said CTEP’s mission is to work towards closing the digital divide.

Other library sites for the program are Rondo, Central and Dayton’s Bluff. Crowe runs a computer lab as well as teaches various computer classes, free to the public, at Rice Street Library.

Crowe said the North Star Digital Literacy (NSDL) Consortium has developed a list of competencies a person would need to master to be considered computer literate.

“Over the last couple of years, a curriculum has been created based on those competencies,” Crowe explained. “The curriculum covers beginning computer, beginning Internet, beginning Email and intro to Word.”

When people complete the classes, they are invited to take a proctored assessment, based on NSDL standards.

“If they get 85 per cent or better correct, they earn a certificate of mastery,” Crowe said. “The NSDL Consortium is working on educating employers about the certificate and its value to them when they are hiring people.”

He also teaches intro to Excel, intro to PowerPoint and is in the process of developing some other classes to teach individuals how to use technology in job search.

“One of the things I am asked to do a lot is to teach people how to upload a resume to a job search site or to attach a resume to an email,” Crowe related.

Crowe, who recently retired as the director of Quality Career Services, a nonprofit agency that works with dislocated workers, uses the website iseek.org to help participants with their job search. The site offers a skills assessment, resume template, occupational descriptions and a chance to find out about wages and the outlook for current jobs.

The computer lab is open 1-3 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. People can walk in without an appointment and can get help with resumes, applying online, learning about Word or Excel, or how to set up an email account.

The library provides computers and scheduled classes, although individuals can bring in their own laptops if they wish. For a scheduled class, just call the library reference desk at 651-558-2223 to register.

Crowe said each class is four sessions in different sequences, repeated throughout the year.

“A variety of ages come in for the lab and classes,” he said, “ranging from people in their 20s to people in their 70s. There are a lot of beginners, and we welcome them. We want to help people use the computer, because it is such a part of everyday life.”

He said that about 75 per cent of the people coming in to the lab are jobseekers.

He said CTEP emphasizes direct services to the public. Those providing the services are called members, although the library also identifies Crowe as a technology skills coordinator.

He is self-taught on computers, but used many of the programs he teaches when he was director of a nonprofit.

He said social networking is a possible class that is also being considered.

Participants in the computer lab seemed happy for the services offered through CTEP.

“I really enjoy the lab,” said Vonda Kocisko. “Joe is very good at teaching.”

“He saved my life today,” added Quincy Wright. “He helped me so much with a job application.”