Lansing's new Information Technology Empowerment Center (ITEC) won't officially open in the old South Holmes Street School until April, at least. But that didn't stop the Mayor from hosting his State of the City speech there on Monday, and isn’t slowing the energetic organization from teaching people, particularly teens, about the methods and magic of the high tech world.
With the beginning of the new semester, ITEC will be teaching 90 students at Lansing’s Pattengill Middle School about the science behind videos, music, and even poetry.
“Kids tend to use Facebook but they don’t know how to set up or design such a site," says Kirk Riley, ITEC director. "We’re going to help them look under the hood. We’ll be teaching about waves, pixels and sequencing” and lots more. And it will be fun.
Classes will also begin this month at Lansing’s Sexton High School; they have already started at the Black Child and Family Institute. By spring, Riley expects a partnership with Impression 5 Science Center to bring classes there. And by summer, he hopes to be offering six-week technology camps.
Funding is still being captured for the ITEC programs. Riley has raised about $100,000 of the $350,000 goal to push the program forward.
“Jobs are going unfilled here because the applicants’ tech skills are not good enough,” Riley says. “We’re going to change that, building homegrown talent.”
Source: Kirk Riley, ITEC
Gretchen Cochran, Innovation & Jobs editor, can be reached here.
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