Chattanooga’s Tech Goes Home program will get nearly $2 million in state grants over the next two years to help another 3,300 area residents get and use laptop computers.
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development said the digital training program operated by The Enterprise Center in Chattanooga was the biggest recipient among 47 projects selected for money under the state’s $27.9 million Digital Skills Education and Workforce Development program.
“We’re thrilled Tech Goes Home will be able to deepen its work in communities across our region through this investment,” The Enterprise Center CEO Deb Socia said in a news release. “Broadband is essential in 2024, and this ongoing digital equity work is crucial to community connectivity.”
(READ MORE: Tech Goes Home aids thousands with computer skills)
The Enterprise Center developed the Tech Goes Home program in 2015 to help bridge the digital divide in internet use and access by training and providing computers to low-income students, workers and seniors. Aided by other government and foundation grants, the Tech Goes Home program has helped provide computer training and laptop computer equipment for more than 12,000 Tennesseans.
“And we’re committed to ensuring that every individual has the technology and training they need to succeed,” Socia said.
The program came under scrutiny in March when City Auditor Stan Sewell, City Attorney Phil Noblett and members of the Chattanooga City Council received an anonymous email raising questions about how the city-funded Enterprise Center had contracted with City Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod, of Eastdale, for technology classes and whether there might be discrepancies in the sign-in sheets for the program. The Enterprise Center said it provided the city auditor with student surveys and attendance rosters associated with Coonrod’s classes.
Sewell said in a statement Wednesday his office has not issued any report on the matter. In a separate statement, Socia said the center has fully cooperated with the city auditor’s office and hasn’t let the questions raised about any sign-in sheets distract from its mission of helping upgrade computer skills and availability.
“Since our founding in 2003, The Enterprise Center has earned the respect and trust of our community by working hard to build a more technologically advanced and socially inclusive culture in Chattanooga,” Socia said in her statement. “Community trust is critical to our mission, which is why we are eagerly cooperating with the city’s audit department to investigate claims made against one of our vendors. While we promise to get to the bottom of this matter, we will not be distracted from our mission to unite people and organizations through technology in our community.”
The new state funds will help Tech Goes Home broaden its services across Hamilton, Bradley, Polk, McMinn, Marion, Sequatchie, Bledsoe, Rhea, Meigs and Grundy counties.
“Our grants are designed to invest in programs that will increase digital adoption, and we look forward to seeing how The Enterprise Center’s Tech Goes Home Program benefits folks across Southeast Tennessee,” Tennessee’s broadband program director, Taylre Beaty, said in a statement.
A 2023 report by the National Skills Coalition and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta estimated that 92% of jobs today require digital literacy and that workers who qualify for jobs that require even one digital skill can earn an average of 23% more than in a job requiring no digital skills.
“Broadband and digital opportunities are critical to keeping communities connected — as well as ensuring a robust and economically thriving Chattanooga,” Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly said in a statement about the state grants to The Enterprise Center.
Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp said the state grants for Tech Goes Home “sets ‘Gig City’ up for even further success in our mission to provide broadband access to every Hamilton County resident.
“In an ever-changing digital economy, this funding will provide equal opportunities for local residents, regardless of their neighborhood,” Wamp said.
Sammy Lowdermilk, the program director for Tech Goes Home, said Tech Goes Home has already been getting about $1.3 million a year in state aid to help train early childhood workers in computer skills and to provide laptop computers for preschool teachers.
(READ MORE: Tech Goes Home expands statewide for early childhood teachers)
“This new grant will help us expand all of our services throughout the Chattanooga region and into nearby counties to help even more people,” Lowdermilk said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
Contact Dave Flessner at [email protected] or 423-757-6340.
Wanda Parisien is a computing expert who navigates the vast landscape of hardware and software. With a focus on computer technology, software development, and industry trends, Wanda delivers informative content, tutorials, and analyses to keep readers updated on the latest in the world of computing.
