Literacy Volunteers of Rochester held its first Job Prep Event Tuesday at the Sully Branch Library on Webster Avenue in the city.
It’s designed to help people with basic computer skills according to Digital Literacy program director Brian Kane.
``Helping people with resumes, either creating them or reviewing them. We’re going to be answering any computer related questions that they have. We’ll have people here helping them to make referrals to educational opportunities or other services that they might need,” he says.
In a statement about Digital Literacy, Kane says that every day, “our volunteers see Rochester area residents who struggle in the job market and who have serious challenges with technology. And the biggest challenges are often the lack of computers and access to the internet.”
He says they’ve seen an explosive growth the past four years in the number of people coming to Digital Literacy asking for help.
About 20 percent of city households don’t have internet access, and Digital Literacy’s partnership with the Rochester City School District/OACES and libraries aims to help people bridge that digital divide.
``Certainly the optimum is somebody gets a computer themselves and they get internet access at home, they can really build their skills that way. But as a stopgap, we’re there to help,” he says.
Tuesday's Job Prep Event, in conjunction with the Sully Branch Library and the Rochester City School District/OACES, was held at the library on Webster Avenue.
Kane says that on Wednesday, Literacy Rochester will join Monroe County for a job fair at that location.