Guest post by: Caitlin Garozzo, Program Manager, Career Wardrobe, Internet Essentials Digital Literacy Training Facilitator
Career Wardrobe is in its 20th year of providing clothing and job readiness training for people in the Philadelphia area. Whether we are providing an interview-ready wardrobe or workshops, our goal remains the same: to provide clients with the confidence to attain success.
While many people know about our efforts to provide clothes for those seeking job placements, we also provide classes to ensure that they have the necessary skills to find and maintain employment. For over ten years, Career Wardrobe’s offered workshops that provided time management and interview skills, taught public speaking and professional etiquette. But, digital literacy was a component we were missing until recently when Comcast stepped in as our partner. Our board member, Christine Jereb, a Community Investment Manager at the company, connected us with the Internet Essentials team. With that, we began to integrate Digital Literacy trainings into our Blitz Basics and Technology workshops to benefit our clients.
As technology advances, knowing how to use the Internet to find jobs, education resources, or just as a general tool to search for information, is an essential part of building the confidence we aim to instill in everyone who comes through our doors.
The digital literacy curriculum aggregates resources for job searches, educational advancement, and financial assistance all in one place. During workshops we are able to further examine these topic areas and show women that the Internet isn’t just an amenity- it is a necessary tool for advancement.
We also help women develop their online brand. As part of this program, we dive deeper into identifying unique ways to use the Internet for job searches and explore the difference between your Facebook profile and your LinkedIn page. The digital literacy component has been an integral part of removing the fear and confusion that some have about the Internet overall.
At Career Wardrobe we serve a diverse group of men and women. Some people are looking for their first job, others are trying to re-enter the workforce; many have already secured employment and are trying to improve their skill set. Still, the need to be digitally literate and confidently navigate the Internet is the same for all of those that we serve.
For our clients, digital literacy means building confidence; for our City, it means moving a step closer to closing the digital divide. We’re proud to partner with Comcast to make this possible.
