MANITOWOC — Goodwill NCW receives AT&T Foundation grant. As part of AT&T’s nationwide commitment to help bridge the digital divide and the homework gap, the AT&T Foundation is granting $10,000 to Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin (NCW) to help youth with limited internet access in Manitowoc and Green Bay. 

The grant from the AT&T Foundation will support Digital and Employability Skills training offered by Goodwill NCW for high school students and adults in the Manitowoc and Green Bay areas who face barriers to employment and advancement in digital skills.

“Our mission at Goodwill NCW is to elevate people, including our youth, by eliminating barriers to employment,” President and CEO Chris Hess said. “For many we serve, the digital divide has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This grant from the AT&T Foundation will help us provide the digital and employability skills training necessary to help the youth and adults we serve develop their digital skills and open doors to academic and career possibilities.”

Goodwill NCW is partnering with the Manitowoc and Green Bay school districts, local business partners, and nonprofits to provide Digital Skills training for local youth and adults affected by the digital divide. Students in ninth through 12th grades and adults will be provided an assessment to evaluate current digital skills and develop a plan for sessions to complete. This can include basic computer use such as internet security and job search to completing certificate courses in PowerPoint and Excel. Students will have the opportunity to train on Outlook, proper email use, Microsoft Word, online job search and application submission.

“The pandemic has heightened the digital divide challenges faced by students in Wisconsin and across the country,” said Paul Weirtz, President of AT&T Wisconsin. “AT&T is proud to support Goodwill as it works to close the digital divide and provide digital skills to our students in need in the Manitowoc and Green Bay areas.”

The mission of Goodwill NCW is Elevating People by Eliminating Barriers to Employment. A nonprofit, Goodwill uses donations and shopping purchases to fund job training and more in communities in north central Wisconsin to make a life-changing impact for the people they serve. 

AT&T is committing more than $2 billion over the next 3 years to bridge the digital divide through affordable broadband offers for both consumers and education institutions, as well as high quality educational resources and community investment through AT&T Connected Learning, a program to connect students to skills, resources, and opportunities for success in school and in life.