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| URBAN ECONOMICS
July Jobs Report Shows Continued Crippling Unemployment Rates for Low-Skill Employees and Blacks
- Also, experts believe that by increasing the minimum wage the problem will become exacerbated -
WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 /PRNewswire/
-- While 207,000 new jobs were created in July and overall unemployment
remained unchanged at 5.0%, several of the most vulnerable populations
saw a substantial increase in unemployment.
High school dropouts saw their unemployment increase from 7.0% to 7.6%,
more than 50% higher than the national rate. In contrast, high school
graduates' unemployment rate is slightly lower than average at 4.8%,
and college graduates have a rate less than half that of the overall rate.
While teenage unemployment saw a slight decrease from 16.4% to 16.1%, African American teen unemployment increased to 33.1% -- more than six-and-a-half times the national rate.
"The continuing disproportionate unemployment faced by low-skilled
people is particularly disturbing," said Employment Policies Institute
legislative director Mike Flynn. "These gateway jobs are the best
avenue for them to obtain the experience and skills needed to advance
and obtain corresponding increases in salary."
These harsh unemployment numbers could become crippling if the minimum
wage is increased. Over thirty state legislatures have considered
increases in their respective minimum wage since the beginning of this
year. Across the nation, many efforts are already underway to
propose minimum wage ballot initiatives for the 2006 election season.
Decades of economic research conclude that wage hikes lead to fewer job
opportunities for minorities and low-skilled employees.
Researchers at Duke University have found that after an increase in the
minimum wage, low-skilled adults are often crowded out of their jobs as
better-educated teenagers (frequently from wealthier families) are
drawn into the workforce simply to earn spending money.
A Cornell University study found that
black young adults typically bear almost four times the employment loss
of their non-black counterparts after a minimum wage increase.
Contrary to the misperception that entry-level employees are stuck at
the minimum wage, research from Miami University of Ohio and Florida
State University shows that nearly two-thirds of minimum wage employees
receive raises within 1-12 months of employment as a result of their
tenure and increased skill. They can only advance, however, if they are
employed.
"These populations are already suffering from high unemployment and
will only experience further barriers to employment if the minimum wage
is increased. This troubling economic reality should be taken
into strong consideration by anyone considering a minimum wage hike --
whether it is in the legislature or at the ballot box," said Flynn.
Gatewayjobs.com, a website
focusing on the crisis in entry-level employment, provides regularly
updated statistics detailing the employment market for entry-level
employees and vital information about a host of government assistance
programs designed to promote employment and economic success.
DATASOURCE: Employment Policies Institute - The Employment Policies
Institute is a nonprofit research organization dedicated to studying
public policy issues surrounding entry-level employment. For additional information or to
schedule an interview with a spokesperson call Mike Burita at
202.463.7650. |
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| ICT REVIEW ARCHIVE
CTC Startup Manual from CTCNet (pdf)
First published in 1997, the CTC Center Start-Up Manual is widely
recognized as a principal guide for establishing CTCs and serves as an
organized patchwork of CTC experiences.
Toni Stone, founder of CTCNet, was
principal author of previous editions of the Manual. With support from the
Surdna Foundation, the manual has been updated by CTCNet to reflect
developing CTC experiences and needs. This version was completed in
January 2003.
An
Operations Toolkit was also developed to give CTCs a wide array of
templates, best practices, and forms currently used in the field.
CTCNet will continue to explore and expand on new areas. They also welcome any suggestions and experiences.
Table of Contents
Preface
How to Use This Manual
Chapter One: Timeline and Process
Chapter Two: Mapping Community Resources
Chapter Three: Determining Program Focus
Chapter Four: Staffing
Chapter Five: Software Selection and Criteria
Chapter Six: Space, Hardware, and Security
Chapter Seven: Scheduling, Outreach, and Self-Assessment
Chapter Eight: Budgeting and Funding
Chapter Nine: Preparing a Business Plan
You also may
download/print the entire document
Printed copies of this manual can be obtained by sending a $25 check
made out to CTCNet to:
CTCNet
1436 U Street, NW - Suite 104
Washington, DC 20009 | | |
| Community Technology Centers: by CompuMentor
What Is a CTC?
A Community Technology Center, (CTC), is a free or low-cost community
service and/or educational facility where computers and related
technologies are available to people who otherwise wouldn't have an
opportunity to use them. At CTCs, people of all ages and abilities can
learn about computers, use the Internet, further their education, or
develop work skills.
Who runs a CTC?
Most CTCs are built and run by independent, community-based
organizations. CTCs are generally offered in low-income neighborhoods.
Types of agencies that host CTCs include:
• Job training and welfare-to-work organizations
• Education-related organizations
• Youth-serving organizations
• Housing projects
• Other social service agencies
What do CTCs provide?
CTCs provide access to the latest technology for those who can't afford
it. They also provide support, training, education and other services
to help insure that technology is a tool for individual empowerment and
for building stronger communities.
How do CTCs benefit your organization and community?
CTCs can:
• Provide job skills
• Promote literacy and higher learning
• Create a safe, constructive social gathering place
• Help community-based organizations better carry out their missions
What makes a good CTC?
Each CTC has its unique qualities, yet all share a commitment to
granting affordable technology access and to increasing the
self-sufficiency of participants. The best CTCs empower members by
offering opportunities to improve education levels, gain job-related
skills and build personal and community capacity.
For example, a parent or youth organization may use the services of a
CTC to create a video or publish a newsletter. A job development,
homework support, or welfare organization may run a CTC that provides
for enhancement of basic literacy training and office related computer
skills.
Some key features CTCs have in common include:
• Open-access to computers and the Internet, on a walk-in, low-fee or no-fee basis
• Computers, training,
assistance, and other resources, carefully tailored to the
specific needs of the local community
• Location in or near the heart of a low-income neighborhood
• Strong community participation and direction in center planning and activities
How do I find out more about CTCs?
To learn more about CTCs you can visit the following web sites:
- America Connects Consortium - Resources for CTCs by a group of eight organizations (including CompuMentor), funded by the Department of Education
- CTCNet - The leading national network of CTCs
- The CTC section of TechSoup- Articles, links, and other resources
- Subcribe to ICT_Review and clicking on the subscritption link (it's free!)
How do I find a CTC near my organization?
There are many CTCs listed online. Links to general directories include:
• The TechSoup.org Community Technology Center section
• CTCNet's Membership Directory
• Web Junction A listing of CTCs, Libraries, and other places with public access to computers.
How can my organization build its own CTC?
An organization's ability to start a CTC depends on factors such as
community need, staffing resources, available technology and technology
expertise, space and other issues.
For more information on building a CTC you can download CTCNet's Center
Start-Up Manual at www.ctcnet.org. Or, for hands-on help getting
started, contact CompuMentor's CTC Program Manager, George Gundrey: 1.800.659.3579 x310. | | |
| TEST POSTING (status incomplete)
Establishing Neighborhood Technology Centers in Low-income
Communities: A Crossroads for Social Science and Computer
Information Technology
by Richard L. O’Bryant , Ph.D. Student Planning Support Systems
Group MIT – Department of Urban Studies and Planning)
Neighborhood technology centers have emerged as a new tool for
developing low-income communities. With the growth of computer
information technology and the Internet, public debate has emerged
over what is the best approach for establishing technology and
Internet access for lowincome communities. Setting up technology
centers in a targeted community making it available to that
community’s residents has become the preferred strategy for
technology access. Sort of a “build it and they will come philosophy”.
This article argues that establishing technology center access in
low-income communities requires inclusion of a component that is
sensitive to social issues specific to that community. With this
consideration the presence of a technology center in a low income
community has the potential for spatial as well as environmental
impact. Access to technology without consideration of social conditions
of the community is setting up a technology center initiative to
fail or at most to garner minimal results with relation to
meaningful technology use.
Three social constructs and perspectives came into play when
Camfield Estates, a low-income housing development in the Roxbury
section of Boston, established the Neighborhood Technology
Center (NTC) for computer access. This empirical study examines
the components for establishing technology access in a low-income
community. This study was done over a two-month period with
interviews, direct observation and review of historical
documentation. The statistical data revealed obvious and not so
obvious patterns of use.
At this particular NTC a number of subtle and not so subtle
issues come into play when establishing technology access. A
qualitative analysis of interviews highlights the need for a social
component and support system for a NTC in low-income communities.
Each of the stakeholders initially had divergent visions
(structurationist 1, social constructivist, functionalist) of
what establishing technology access meant for Camfield.
The center has been established for two years and the reality has
presented a different but clearer picture of what technology
access requires.
The vision of the stakeholders for future technology access at
the NTC at Camfield began to converge, emerging with a clearly
social perspective.
Finally, an informal and unplanned discussion with a young user
sheds light on why the considerations observed in this study are
so important.
These findings provide an empirical basis for including a social
context and expanding the public discourse about what technology
access means and entails for low-income communities.
Using social constructs to analyze what is necessary when
establishing technology access in low-income communities is a
particularly useful strategy for including noticeable and not so
noticeable issues germane and particular to this environment.
The primary goal of the NTC is to provide residents of both
housing developments with access to state of the art computer
technology in a safe, nurturing environment. In addition to access,
the NTC is also committed to the enhancement and development of
technology-related skills of participants, which will enable them
to compete in the labor market. Through collaboration with
existing institutions and agencies in the community, NTC seeks to
develop linkages and partnerships to facilitate greater technology
access and training. The future hope of residents of Camfield
Estates and MHFA is to be able to expand access to technology by
replicating the Camfield NTC model at other housing developments.
Community technology centers (CTC) are the most common approach
for offering low-income communities access to state of the art
computer technology. The difficulty for CTCs is in defining what
access means in terms of accessibility, availability, usability,
and affordability. Early models of community computing
access were established with electronic networks, usually with second
hand or third hand computer equipment. The software
applications were often antiquated. The goal for the NTC
and CTCs is to introduce its user to the latest in computer
technology and software applications.
Some studies show that CTCs are an attractive model for a number of reasons (Bishop et. al., 1999).
1) they are cost-effective when compared to placing computers into resident’s homes.
2) responsibility for maintaining computer resources is assumed by an external agent.
3) knowledgeable staff members are present to offer technical support and training.
4) peers and other community members are present, creating a pleasant social atmosphere.
For more than two decades, significant public and private funds
have been invested in the development of CTCs nationwide (CTCNet
1998, Resnick et. al., 1998). CTCs have been the focus of
numerous studies relating to computer access, use and
effectiveness; have been well researched and documented (Beamish,
1995, Beamish 1999, Ellis et. al., 1998, Mark et. al., 1997,
Melchoir et. al., 1998).
This article will show that technology access for low-income
communities is much more than just the availability and access to
hardware. A multitude of social issues, challenges and concerns
(adequate security, adequate schools, adequate housing, day care
services, jobs, job training programs, adequate health care
facilities, etc.) must be taken into consideration when establishing
community technology centers.
As Roberts paper argues, in his issue defining article,
"Empowering Communities of Color through Computer Technology", he
explores the issue of access is complex. Merriam-Webster defines
access as: a) permission, liberty, or ability to enter, approach,
communicate with, or pass to and from; b) freedom or ability to
obtain or make use of; c) a way or means of access; d) the act or
an instance of accessing.
So access to information technology is not just having the
availability of equipment but also the ability to gain literacy and
proficiency in its use.
Finally, this article investigates the different perspectives of the
primary stakeholders (Camfield Tenants Association, Massachusetts
Housing Finance Agency, Williams Consulting) and how they fit
into the conceptual frameworks of structurationist, social
constructivist and functionalist.
Specifically, how has their perspective changed since the
beginning of the NTC and what vision do they have individually
and together for the future of NTC?
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