A national Latino nonprofit is spearheading an initiative to boost digital skills and provide workforce training among Hispanics.
The Hispanic Federation is partnering with Comcast NBCUniversal Telemundo to support digital skills training through the Latino Digital Equity Centers Initiative, the organization announced Tuesday.
Comcast NBCUniversal is the parent company of NBC News.
“Everyone should have the opportunity to participate in today’s increasingly digital economy,” said Frankie Miranda, president and CEO of the Hispanic Federation, in a statement. “Bridging the digital divide that disproportionately impacts Latinos is key to creating economic opportunity in the Latino community and a more equitable society.”
The partnership cited 2020 statistics from the National Skills Coalition, which found that while Latinos make up 14 percent of the workforce, they represent 35 percent of workers who lack digital skills.
Meanwhile, around half of tasks across all industries are expected to go digital over the next decade, according to the Aspen Institute. By 2030, at least two-thirds of jobs will require some level of digital skills.
Twenty Latino-led organizations throughout the country will receive grants that total $635,000. The Latino Digital Equity Centers Initiative will work with the groups on a digital accelerator training program as well as launch a Digital Career Center to offer online and in-person training.
The Hispanic Federation is developing a bilingual Latino Center of Digital Skills Excellence to provide best practices for digital skills training and research to nonprofits that are focused on digital development.
The Latino Digital Equity Centers Initiative is aiming to train over 6,000 Latinos over a one-year period.
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