RALEIGH – A group of high school students are among 700 North Carolinians who are receiving new laptops for free as part of a state initiative to improve access to technology in underserved areas.
Fifteen students from Southern School of Energy and Sustainability in Durham and McDowell High School in Marion received their Hewlett-Packard laptops after a ceremony Thursday in the Raleigh headquarters of the N.C. Department of Transportation.
“These individuals – most of whom live or work in rural or underserved communities – will gain the tools they need to pursue workforce opportunities and continue their career journeys,” State Transportation Secretary Daniel Johnson said. “By expanding access to virtual learning, digital services and online resources, we’re helping reduce barriers and create more pathways to success.”
The initiative underscores Governor Josh Stein’s priorities to bolster workforce development and increase access to technology.
Each laptop comes with a hotspot for high-speed internet access, Microsoft Office software, and carrying cases. About 200 people have received laptops and NCDOT officials plan to distribute another 500 laptops later this year.
The initiative is funded with a $1.3 million federal Digital Opportunity Grant from the American Rescue Plan Act. The N.C. Department of Information Technology administers the federal grant and selected NCDOT’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Compliance to receive the funds for the laptop initiative.
"These laptops will advance the development of North Carolina's current and future workforce,” said N.C. Department of Information Technology Secretary and the state's Chief Information Officer Nate Denny. “Making sure individuals and small businesses have the tech they need to participate in the digital economy will make safer, healthier, more resilient communities."
Staff in NCDOT’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Compliance identified a need for technology among the laptop recipients, most of whom live or work in the state’s underserved or rural areas, according to the office’s Senior Director Tunya Smith. Each recipient will also receive basic computer skills training.
“These laptops will not only be used by the people receiving them, but also their families can use them to connect to our growing digital world,” Smith said.
The people receiving laptops include:
- Adults who completed NCDOT’s Highway Construction Trade Academy, a two-week course that aims to prepare people for entry-level careers in road construction.
- Small business owners in the transportation industry identified by NCDOT as having a need because they have limited access to technology.
- Rising juniors and seniors in North Carolina who completed a high school construction course and NCDOT’s Transportation Summer Accelerator. The accelerator is a two-week program that introduces students to careers in the transportation construction industry.
Mary Finley, director of Career and Technical Education for McDowell County Schools, said the mountain county is among the state’s most economically distressed and access to computers or high-speed internet can be difficult to come by.
“That’s why today’s gift is so meaningful,” Finley said. “This laptop is much more than a computer. It can be used to complete homework, apply for college, fill out financial aid forms, search for scholarships, build a resume, apply for jobs, or earn certifications that lead directly to a career.”