Digital Literacy Grant Benefits Community

For the third time since 2021, Millersville University was awarded the Digital Literacy and Workforce Development grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. The $98,235 grant will be used to fund resources for the community to teach computer skills, digital navigation, workshops on searching for jobs using Indeed and LinkedIn and what it means to be a good digital citizen to the public.

With this round of funding, MU will partner with the Columbia Borough, the Columbia Public Library, the Columbia School District and returning partner CareerLink. As the program expands and more people get involved, more workshops will be added to ensure everyone is granted equal opportunity to build their digital literacy skills. In previous rounds, the grant was awarded for a year, and the new round has been extended to two years,

Hope Schmids, director of the Workforce Development Program at MU, is proud of how well this grant project aligns with MU's EPPIIC values.

"Our mission as a public university is to educate the community, not just our own degree-seeking students, but to provide lifetime learning opportunities in ways that benefit our community and local economy. We're very invested in that," says Schmids.

In past rounds, participants have received certificates of completion rewarding them for their dedication to completing a whole series of classes. The program has housed workshops, walk-ins and online classes as part of their partnership with local libraries. Some came looking to build their digital literacy skills, whereas others preferred to have quick questions answered. The program has helped people video chat with their family over COVID and fill out online job applications and job profiles. The diversity in the inquiries inspired the organizers to approach the new round in a different way, ensuring everyone could effectively get the help they need.

In the future, Schmids hopes the University continues to receive funding for this program to ensure the community gets the most out of it, as well as maximizing the benefits it provides.