Silver View Education Center
Partner Agency:
Location(s): 2574 County Hwy 10, Mounds View, MN 55112
Site Supervisor: Susan Seyfarth
CTEP Program Description
The AmeriCorps Community Technology Empowerment Project (CTEP) bridges the “digital divide” for new Immigrants and low-income communities in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area. Join AmeriCorps CTEP and help make the information age accessible to all. CTEP is a project of Saint Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN).
Site History and Mission
For the past five years, Metro East Adult Education has been steadily growing it's IT Career Pathway at Silver View and Harmony Education Centers. In the fall of 2018, Metro East in partnership with Ramsey County Workforce Solutions began to offer technology related trainings at the North Saint Paul Career Force Center. All technology trainings provided have been taught by consistent staff and supervised by full time salaried staff. 2019 is a year of continuing already successful technology training along with piloting some new technology related programming for those coming in with low technology skills. CTEP members would be working with dedicated staff that have experience working within the Metro East and Transcend IT environments and are looking forward to providing stability and support for all who are a part of the team.
In the spring of 2019 Transcend IT will expand its offerings through a partnership with Metro East Adult Education. Both sites provide a full complement of adult education courses including ESL, GED Prep, citizenship classes and digital learning opportunities utilizing the Northstar Digital Literacy Assessment.
Preferred Site Schedule for Member
Schedule can vary depending on the availability of CTEP member and the site placement. CTEP member time would be most useful during the week between the times of 9am-6pm.
Specific Site Responsibilities
The role of the CTEP members will support the learning and development of participant all along their digital literacy journey. From assessments, to developing learning plans, to tracking progress and learning, CTEP members will be a critical part of ensuring a participant's success and continuous development throughout the program. This will include supporting technology training programs from assessment and placement of individuals into the program that is the best fit for them, as well as to support training staff in the tracking of progress and understanding of course materials for individuals within the program. This will involve administering assessments such as the TABE, Northstar Digital Literacy, and typing assessments to determine the level that an individual is coming into the program with as well as assessments throughout their time in the program. This will also involve the ability to communicate with and assess an individuals needs through a verbal interview process. The CTEP members will then work with site staff to recommend and determine a learning plan that is the best fit for the individual. After an individual is input into the proper program(s) CTEP members will continue to be a learning resource for individuals within the various technology training programs prescribed in the learning plan. Individuals that CTEP members will be working with come from diverse backgrounds. Individuals ranging from 18-60+ in age, new immigrants and refugees, individuals with varying levels of english language skills, individuals with varying levels of technology exposure and skill, as well as individuals with diverse work, education, and life backgrounds. Openness, curiosity, and empathy are all skills that will be utilized, practiced, and built up within this role.
Site Environment
All sites are professional environments, where professionalism is practiced and modeled for all who are served as well as practiced by all internal staff. Individuals who will be most successful in their role will be open to collaboration, enjoy working with individuals from diverse backgrounds, and have a willingness to learn about all types of technology. Metro East provides support to a diverse base of participants that are coming in at all levels of technology literacy. Microsoft Office courses and Help Desk/A+ training is also offered, so exposure to both hardware and software widely used in professional environments will also be used.
Since all sites serve diverse populations, individuals will also always be practicing empathy across cultures. Mentorship is a key component to the success of all programs, so having strong interpersonal skills will also be key to being successful in this role. Classroom sizes range from 15-25 individuals at one time, so the ability to multitask and co-manage and teach with 1-4 additional staff will also be expected.
How to Apply
Apply online at my.americorps.gov and click on “Apply to Serve” (be sure to search for the “Community Technology Empowerment Project” or “CTEP” when asked to indicate what program you would like to send your application to). Contact: Lizzie Hutchins, hutchins@spnn.org or 651.298.8919.
We are committed to recruiting and engaging individuals without regard to disability, gender, race, religion or sexual orientation. Reasonable accommodations will be made upon request. Alternative formats of this document are also available.