Teach By Tech

As technology, digital literacy and workplace expectations continue to change drastically, it has never been more important to empower the workforce to be resilient and adaptable. There must be a concerted effort placed on reaching communities of color who face unemployment rates consistently higher than white rates. In rural and low-income communities, it is difficult to access workforce training and upskilling opportunities due to a number of barriers including unreliable or non-existent access to the internet. Locating appropriate education and workforce training content can be difficult and overwhelming.   We propose the development of a digital offline collection curated with workforce learning modules specific to the needs of region. This digital collection can be easily transported and offline. It generates its own wi-fi hotspot which allows users to connect their device to the library and download content. This makes content available at all times, even if internet connectivity is not possible. 

Across the US, workers are experiencing unprecedented levels of instability, with many facing unemployment (7.9%) or struggling financially in low-paying, temporary, or part-time jobs. Long standing racial and gender injustices continue to hinder the education, employment, and earning potential of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other historically marginalized communities.  We must re-assess the needs of individuals without employment and determine how to help them reenter the workforce into good jobs as part of economic recovery.

In 2020 unemployment in Colorado has skyrocketed. Almost half of all Colorado adults have experienced a loss in employment income upending their ability to pay for basic necessities. Colorado women, older and younger workers, and those from communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by the economic crisis. Workforce training and upskilling opportunities are necessary to prepare members of our community for new opportunities.

We aim to improve employment opportunities for vulnerable and marginalized groups through increased access to relevant, high quality, affordable learning, skill building and training opportunities for those entering the workforce, transitioning between jobs or facing unemployment. Our offline digital collection loaded with custom created content overcomes obstacles of time, cost, travel and connectivity that impede continued access to education and training. 

Teach By Tech seeks to serve communities that are unconnected or under connected by providing them with relevant, skills focused workforce development. We do this by offering an offline digital library. Community members do not need wi-fi or data or internet to access this robust library. This overcomes the need for immediate costly infrastructure enhancements. We have created a digital offline library that provides access to quality education learning modules custom created for our audiences. Our digital collection can be easily transported and is also offline. It generates its own wi-fi hotspot which allows users to connect their device to our library and download content or can be connected physically with cables or cards.  It is very flexible. This makes content available at all times, even if internet connectivity is not possible. We use raspberry pi micro computers that can be run on low voltage utilizing ARM processors for our portable libraries.  There is also potential to use solar as a power source. We chose the raspberry pi as it has a massive community of users and resources to support our efforts and fills this need perfectly.

Our solution is designed for and with adult refugees and immigrants with limited English proficiency, who are unemployed our underemployed. Each course is designed to emphasize teaching essential skills- reading, writing, oral communication, numeracy and digital literacy-through workforce training. To date, we have served 57% women and 43% men representing 18 different countries.  76% of our students are unemployed or are employed in janitorial services, back end service jobs or the gig economy. 66% have a high school diploma or less.

We work with community navigators and partners to design curriculum specific to the needs of the populations we serve. We survey students asking what they believe is preventing them from attaining better jobs. Overwhelmingly we hear lack of English skills, lack of computer skills, lack of specific workforce training and lack of information on where to find opportunities. We use this information to improve and expand our curricula.

21.9% of the CO population are without internet connection. 54,000+ families do not have laptops or desktops at home. Our solution is designed to be compatible with mobile phones and create opportunities to access quality education without connectivity, while remaining engaged with instructors via mobile phones and texting platforms. 

Our entire solution is meant to overcome impediments to education and training and increase access to high-quality, affordable learning, skill-building, and training opportunities for refugees and immigrants who are entering the workforce in the United States or  transitioning between jobs, or facing unemployment and a need to upskill.  Our solution creates training modules specifically designed to focus on skills and/or information that is immediately applicable to the available job market while improving English language proficiency and developing soft skills necessary for success in the workforce. 

Yes. We have currently implemented portions of our solution in the Denver metro area of Colorado and recently expanded to Southwest CO working with the Ute tribe. To date we have created the workforce training modules and videos. We have implemented the use of these modules using a combination of live instruction, printed materials, texting platforms and custom created videos. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the inequality in connectivity, which led us to create the prototype of our digital offline collection curated with workforce learning modules. This digital collection can be easily transported and offline. It generates its own wi-fi hotspot which allows users to connect their device to the library and download content. This makes content available at all times, even if internet connectivity is not possible. The Pew Research Center reports, only 73 percent of Americans have a broadband connection in their home. Those numbers go down drastically in rural, uneducated households, where only 63 percent of rural households and 56 percent of households with a high school degree or less have access to internet. Infrastructure improvements  are costly and occur slowly over time. This solution can provide immediate access to training.  Through our partners we have aspirations to continue expansion throughout CO and into New Mexico. We believe this is a scalable solution with potential to expand access to training and education throughout the United States.

1 Full time Project Lead

1 Part time Senior Software Developer

1 Part time videographer, editing and production

1 contractor graphic design

Because we have close connections with our local community colleges, we contract CTE (Career and Technical Education) faculty to assist with curriculum development and manual production for our workforce courses. 

Our executive director has received safe zone training and intercultural competencies I & II. The board and executive director are currently finalizing our formal policy on diversity, equity and inclusion. We are currently recruiting 2 new board members to be more inclusive of the diverse backgrounds we serve.

As a growing nonprofit we have been very deliberate in creating workplace policies that will allow us to attract diverse talent as we expand our personnel. These policies include: flexible work schedules and work-from-home options, floating holidays to accommodate the religious preferences of all employees and yearly reviews of anti-discrimination and harassment policies as federal and state regulations are updated and improved. Our goal is to identify and train former students who are interested in teaching or have hands on experience in workforce development arenas specific to the needs of our state. 

Our solution is innovative because it overcomes some of the biggest hurdles of reaching remote and underserved communities.  By utilizing the raspberry pi as our travelling library, we are able to allow for people to view and transfer our workforce development modules without the reliance on internet of cellular data.  It is a massive library in the palm of your hands. We use physical connections where possible and can transfer modules in a multitude of ways.  Our systems can be run on low voltage with a minimal battery charge eliminating a need for constant electricity unlike a laptop or pc.  These modules are designed in such a way that they can be viewed and used by students and community members at any time with little to no need for physical contact allowing for continued learning while Teach By Tech is no longer present. This digital library in conjunction with open source material and texting platforms enhances training opportunities while engaging students and maintaining a connection between instructors and students

Teach By Tech leverages existing technology to become mobile and portable.  We use a micro-computer called a Raspberry Pi to house a vast digital library that uses simple video formats to teach lessons and tell stories.  We use wifi, bluetooth, and a multitude of connection types to allow people to connect to this library.  This combined with our users' phones, creates a library that literally fits in the palm of one's hand, requires no internet, but is modern and digital. Using this technology in conjunction with texting platforms allows for students personalized support from live instructors. 
And like any flexible solution we continue to evolve updating our platform and technology to be nimble and current, adapting constantly.

As of Dec 2019, 30 million units of the Raspberry Pi have been sold throughout the world. People use Raspberry Pis to learn programming skills, build hardware projects, do home automation, and even use them in industrial applications. The Raspberry Pi foundation has developed a wider educational mission including building a portfolio of educational initiatives that include content, clubs, programs, competitions, and training. The primary goal of the Raspberry pi is to make it easier to ensure that as many kids as need a device can have one and children can learn to program. We saw this as an inexpensive, durable and transportable way to provide workforce development training custom designed for local needs. This is similar to the creation of the SOLARSPELL initiative out of Arizona State University which has had success in the Pacific Islands and East Africa brining educational content to children via audio files. This initiative has placed over 360 digital libraries in local communities served.  Our initiative uses a combination of audio and video in conjunction with texting platforms to teach, engage and train participants with specific skills for the job market.

Since 2018 we have been using a combination of live instruction, video and texting platforms to provide workforce training to refugees and immigrants through the Denver metro area in CO. 

Problem: Poverty and disparities in our region continue to grow. Refugees, immigrants and native communities are disproportionately impacted by lack of access to economic opportunities and training for career development. As a result, individuals and families are experiencing stagnant incomes and a lack of economic mobility.

Why the problem exists: The current economic system and infrastructure foundations are not working for people in poverty, and will continue to perpetuate opportunity gaps if left unchecked. Lack of access to opportunity are continually hindering the progress of minority groups, which is creating continued racial disparity and gender inequality.

Our response: We remove barriers which limit access to education, training and information. We provide marginalized communities with access to high quality, culturally relevant content that fosters personal and professional advancement. We use innovative technology to overcome inequalities in infrastructure and systemic barriers impeding the growth and success of minority communities.

Our priority communities: Marginalized communities that include: Refugees, Immigrants, People of Color, Native Americans

Our immediate goals are to improve basic literacy and numeracy rates as we close the skills gap and assist in the development, retention and growth of local businesses, by ensuring our community members have the skills necessary to participant in the labor market, succeed in targeted growth occupations and keep a living wage job. In addition, we advocate for increased access to the job market for marginalized communities that often face significant barriers or challenges. Because we work closely with local partners we promote community awareness of in demand area occupations and the associated skill sets required, as well as an appreciation for targeted workforce training.

Input:  Qualified and trained instructors, High quality educational videos with embedded assessments, partners, raspberry Pi, texting platforms, printed materials

Activities: Workforce training courses 5-10 weeks within the refugee and immigrant community or Native American community.

Output: Participants improve basic literacy and numeracy skills, attain Intermediate English proficiency and attain jobs in chosen field of employment

Outcomes: Participants have expanded economic opportunities and increase participation in local community affairs. 

2021-Succesfully implement the use of our offline digital library in 4 different communities: Denver, Aurora, Greeley, Pueblo counties. Bolster partnerships with two local community colleges, increasing our access to highly trained Career and Technical instructors.  Graduate 80 refugees and immigrants with certificates in Cashier and Money handling certificates. Develop and implement new workforce training in construction tech and banking, reaching an additional 80 participants. Assist graduates in job placement at 60% success rate. Increase our local partnerships by throughout CO. Attain $50,000 in funding.

Five year goals divided into three overarching categories:

Capacity: Train and hire new instructors according to capacity needs. We aspire for the new instructors to be female from the refugee and immigrant communities we serve.  Onboard 4 new board members more representative of the community we serve. Hire a development director and marketing associate.

Expansion: Increasing our reach to the surrounding states and develop partnerships with non profits and government agencies in WA and CA to introduce and implement the digital collection to the local refugee and immigrant communities. Expand the use of the digital collection to the Native American community in NM and AZ. We aim to reach at minimum 10,000+ participants in the next 5 years,

Technology: Create 100 digital library collections specific to the needs of the local job market and education gaps. Transition from a minimum viable product to full featured app inclusive of integrated texting, self-hosted video and enhanced progress tracking. We are also creating new language features for translation.

Educating our market and strategic partnerships. As this is a new use for a technology that is not widely used it may be challenging to explain the function and how our solution overcomes barriers to access and connectivity. Demos are effective, but scheduling demos can be difficult, especially during Covid-19.

Funding. Expansion or our course offerings and development of high-quality curricula is costly. The start-up funding to purchase the hardware for the digital offline collection.  

Path to employment. We need assistance in establishing a pipeline to employment with more businesses in our local communities.

Exposure. Marketing our project to key players in local communities can be a challenge.

We are creating a series of tutorial videos to highlight how our technology works and how it can be used to overcome obstacles to connectivity for various communities. We are reaching out to everyone in our networks to see if they can connect us with decision makers.

We are searching for grant opportunities that can help us move forward. We have launched a sponsorship package to encourage local businesses and banks to become involved in our programs and services and provide monetary backing for courses. We are strengthening our partnerships with local community colleges to reduce costs of curriculum development and we are pursuing partnerships with 4 year colleges to work with their education departments to curate practical and viable open source content for our video and audio files.

We have developed a partnership with Denver Workforce Services to place participants into job opportunities upon completion of our classes. We are pursuing direct relationships with corporations to create a pipeline to employment for our students.

We continue to update our social media presence, write press releases and our executive director recently served as the guest speaker on a podcast.

A more robust system of collecting data on job placement. Currently we only know the job placement results of participants who follow the pipeline of employment through our employment partners. This is only about 55% of participants. We do send follow-up text messages and emails to all participants 3 months and 6 months after course completion to gain more data on employment, but these are not always answered.

It would be beneficial to collect data on the impact of employment wages, raises and promotions as a result or in conjunction with our course offerings.

Long term goals of self sufficiency and community activism are yet to be determined because our programs have only been collecting data since 2018. 

Linnie Pawlek- FT lead teacher has 16+ years in curriculum development and adult education in community colleges. She has developed 9 different courses for history, financial literacy and workforce training using  both blended and remote learning models. She has taught ESL in the U.S. and Japan. She also has intermediate French language skills.

Andrew Pawlek- PT CTO has strong software development skills. Strong project management skills. In addition to daily programming and design tasks, he is experienced in leading teams as SCRUM master and Release Manager. He works daily with PHP, react.js, javascript, and git. He has experience as a game developer and QA specialist. He possesses advanced French language skills.

Keiko Ozaki-C- graphic design consultant has more than a decade of experience in video production and editing. She’s well-versed in After Effects and the entire Adobe Creative Suite. 

Leticia Sara- V- has 20+ years community college teaching experience. Growing up in rural WY she experienced the difficulty of access to information. 

Tiffany Pippin- V- has her MATESOL and 20 years experience teaching academic community-based ESL at community colleges, universities, and abroad in Morocco.

Ernie Navarette- V- has 20+ years experience working with community college students in outreach and advising. He understands the needs of first generation students and the unique challenges that accompany them. 

Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountain Region is one of 3 resettlement agencies in Colorado.  Through this partnership we are able to provide financial literacy and workforce training to newly arriving refugees and prepare them for integration into their new communities.

Hope Communities is low housing development in Denver, CO that houses many refugees and immigrants. This partnership permits us to provide on sight financial literacy courses and workshops to a broad community.

Project Worthmore and Emily Griffith Technical College provide ESL, food assistance and community navigation. We provide on sight and remote workforce training and financial literacy courses and workshops to the a large refugee and immigrant population.

Denver Workforce Services serves as a comprehensive employment and training resource for jobseekers and employers throughout Denver. We provide cashier and money handling courses and introduction to computers classes with a resume writing workshop.

Red Rocks Community College IDEA Lab- developing solar solutions to power challenges and designing a portable mobile classroom that can be used in various climates and is easily erected and dismantled.

Pueblo Community College is a new partnership established in 2020. We provide workforce training via remote options to members of the UTE tribe. 

Key Resources- Instructors, quality curriculum; texting platforms; custom  videos, physical space/online host, technical expertise, microcomputers

Partners and Key Stakeholders- Local resettlement agencies, community organizations and nonprofits, workforce boards/services, government agencies

Key activities- Classes teaching basic literacy and numeracy acquisition, digital literacy and workforce development

Workforce development training

a. Cashier and Money Handling students understand working conditions, customer service, using computers, scheduling, money handling, time management and safety at work.

b. Small Business development students master basic accounting, creating savings plan, marketing, business development, customer service and competition

c. Introduction to Computers students understand basic technological vocabulary, learn basic hardware and operating systems, practice proper keyboarding, master MS Word and Excel basics, email functionality, understand internet use and safety and how to search and apply for jobs online.

Type of intervention: Workshops and course training. Blended and remote learning model, in conjunction with texting platforms and printed materials.

Channels- Partner approach to gain visibility and enroll students.

Segments/Beneficiaries- Adult refugees and immigrants with limited English proficiency, limited knowledge of basic literacy and numeracy and limited familiarity with digital tools. Native Americans living on or near the reservation in Southwest CO.

Customer- Government agencies and grant funded initiatives.

Value Proposition-  Making education more accessible, interactive and customizable. Overcoming obstacles to connectivity and infrastructure needs.

Cost structure- Expenses- technology, consultants, insurance, employees; As we scale employee wages and benefits will increase. 

Surplus- Hire new talent, expand our service and improve our technology

Revenue- Individual donations-  35%

                  Grants-                   10%

                  Pay for service-       55%

We use a combination of fee for service and low income client business models. Our workforce training courses are provided for a fee to our nonprofit and government agency partners, which in turn offer the class at no cost to clients. The demand is consistently growing for these. We experience success when writing grants for our workforce training courses. Receiving these grants allows us to offer the courses in conjunction with new partners, who in turn are willing to write co-grants with us or provide a fee for service at later turns. Our individual donations are stable, but we are hesitant to rely on any greater percentage as these are very unknown and can change easily. We recently developed sponsorship models, which will serve not only a path to expanded revenues, but also to serve as another employment opportunity track for students who have successfully completed our workforce training.

We also contract out our services (fee for service) to create videos for other non profits in our area. 

Our projected expenses for 2021 are $65,500

5 financial literacy courses-       $8,750

4 financial literacy workshops- $850

15 workforce training courses- $38,000

Video production-                       $5,200

Hardware-                          $4300

Storage-                             $2300

Texting platforms-            $700

Travel-                                $1500

Overhead-                         $ 3700

We believe our solution can make a difference for marginalized communities. The Reimagining Pathways to Employment aligns with our goals to scale equitable access to training and employment and advancement opportunities to marginalized populations in the U.S. The funding and resources provided to challenge winners would be a major support to us in advancing our proposed solution. Funding and support for the implementation of our offline digital library can help us prove the validity and feasibility of our solution. This funding would thus provide support needed for a successful pilot incorporating open source content, custom videos and texting platforms with the offline digital library as we expand our content to meet the needs of the community and workforce boards and services. The offered IBM credits and technical support could also be a cost-effective means to overcome unforeseen obstacles and brainstorm best practices for scaling our solution. An opportunity to partner with the Morgridge Family Foundation is a dream. We, too, believe that many of our systems have become stagnate and rigid and with creative thinking we can overcome the world’s biggest challenges. New Profit’s vision and expertise can teach TBT how to scale our impact, and take aim at changing the larger systems within which we operate. Each of these highly regarded partners also would bring about increased visibility of our brand and our solutions to overcome inequality. This challenge provides access to capital, support for pilot validation and technical expertise and support needed to advance this solution to success. 

Experienced board members can provide valuable mentorship in regards to expanding our business and improving our business model. We are continuing to grow and we could use members with experience in business development and scaling. Participation in this challenge can help us to identify candidates who have strategic insights, influence, and diversity that will improve every facet of our business.

Funding is essential for any business to expand and grow. With increased funding we can showcase our work and solution to new partners and government agencies allowing us to reach isolated communities and provide vital training to prepare individuals for the workforce. We can learn how to better prepare for funding opportunities and prioritize funds for the growth of our business.

Proper marketing procedures and awareness can greatly increase the number of people and organizations that are aware of our work and increase pathways to employment for our clients.

In Colorado::

Immigrant and Refugee Center of Northern Colorado- focuses on a more rural community with fewer economic opportunities.

Asian Pacific Development Center- This organization is incredibly respected throughout CO and by the refugee community here. Working with this organization would increase our visibility and credibility, while increasing the workforce training available to AAPI community members.

African Community Center- one of three refugee resettlement agencies in Colorado.

International Rescue Committee Denver- provides opportunities for refugees, asylees, victims of human trafficking, survivors of torture, and other immigrants to thrive in America. Proving the success of our training programs here could allow for expansion of our solution to  other states in the U.S and potentially global expansion

Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs and Colorado River Indian Tribal Council- These organizations can help us expand our reach into the larger Native American communities and guide us on the training needs of the community.

Outside Colorado:

Upskill America- The Aspen Institute- employer-led movement to expand opportunity for America’s workers and allow our economy and communities to thrive. The movement promotes training and advancement practices to help workers progress in their careers and move into better-paying jobs. This organization can guide us into what sectors need expansion and what skills are vital for success in the workplace.

Skoll Foundation - drives large-scale change by investing in, connecting, and celebrating social entrepreneurs and the innovators who help them solve the world’s most pressing problems. Skoll can connect us to partners and innovators with similar missions.