At a job fair at Greenfield Community College last month, 29 employers perched, ready, seated behind tables. One has five positions to fill. Another 50. One has 69 openings.
"One said it had to be PDF form, when you tried to upload it. And you’re like, 'What is that? What kind of paper is that?' But it kept saying it wouldn’t do it because it wasn’t one," he said. Crystal Fish and Christian Martin represent Mativ, a plastics manufacturer, at a job fair in Greenfield, Massachusetts, on Feb. 15. Fish said she is not aware of any applicants who have had trouble submitting a job application online. But Maura Geary, who organized the fair, knows it well. Geary is the executive director of the"Some people truly can't access the online application itself. So, they need to be walked through the online application," she said.
And if a job seeker can’t afford internet access, the center will help them apply for the Federal Communication Commission’s, which helps pay for the service. The program will also help pay for a computer or tablet for eligible households. people with mental, developmental and intellectual disabilities or those with limited English, along with people who live in a place that lacks internet infrastructure., Hampden County has the largest percentage of households without a computer.
Grisel Monserrate attends her second computer course offered by Way Finders in Holyoke, Massachusetts, on February 14, 2023. Monserrate said she feels more confident she can achieve her goals after learning computer skills. That's a common problem for job seekers whose only device is a phone. As part of the course, Way Finders gave each student a Chromebook. Hernandez is practically hugging his.
His classmate, 59-year-old Grisel Monserrate, said she didn’t know much about computers before taking the courses. And now? Last year, Tech Goes Home had 4,000 graduates from their training workshops, all from eastern Massachusetts.
Need a better lede something like 'Helping job seekers gain needed digital skills.' The linked article describes several programs doing that. You can't blame employers for the problem when digital skills are required for almost every job.