Close the Digital Equity Gap by Upskilling Immigrants & Refugees
While digital skills have been in demand for years, the COVID-19 pandemic marked a tipping point in the prevalence of virtual and tech-first workforce realities. According to the National Skills Coalition, 92% of jobs in the United States now require digital literacy — defined as the ability to find, create, share information using digital media platforms, including computers — yet nearly one-third of U.S. workers don’t have these foundational skills.
Building a future-ready workforce requires a focus on connecting all workers — particularly adult English learners, 40% of whom are estimated to lack digital skills — with the training to thrive in a technology-fueled economy. A new federal focus on digital equity presents a timely opportunity for state governments to take a critical first step in doing just that.
As of February 2023, every state in the U.S., along with the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, has received a grant to build plans and strategies that support digital literacy. Funds are authorized by the $2.75 billion Digital Equity Act, part of the blockbuster Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal that was signed into law in 2022. State leaders can use this new funding to make smart investments that connect immigrants, refugees, and speakers of other languages with training opportunities, resulting in a three-for-one ROI: English proficiency + in-demand career skills + digital literacy.
Digital literacy benefits local workers, workforces, economies, and employers in myriad ways. Workers in positions that require just one digital skill can earn 23% more than their peers in jobs that require no such training, according to the National Skills Coalition. This pay raise could add up to $2,879 per household per year to federal and state tax coffers, bolstering local job creation and economic growth.
Digital upskilling is also linked to employee recruitment and retention, priorities for local businesses still struggling with recent record-level labor shortages. Study after study suggests that workers prefer companies that offer pathways to advancement, including employer-sponsored training programs. The National Skills Coalition flags that employee replacement costs range from $25,000 for workers who leave within the first year to over $78,000 for workers who leave after five years. Companies who invest in upskilling, especially digital upskilling, will reap returns.
The EnGen Solution
EnGen’s patented technology is proven to help adult English learners acquire language, career, and digital skills. We’ve built 125-plus courses and pathways to encourage mobile-first, personalized, and career-aligned learning. And via collaborations with state government agencies — the Office of Global Michigan and Massachusetts Adult and Community Learning Services both offer the EnGen platform to local learners — we’re upskilling workers at the scale needed to meet the needs of state-level workforces.
Besides offering wrap-around support like coaching to orient learners in engaging with the technical aspects of our platform, EnGen has also developed digital literacy courses to equip learners with essential knowledge as they learn English.
Understanding and using key technologies. Learners can’t advance their skills without the basic knowledge of how technology works and how to use it. Our digital literacy platform provides basic computer and internet skills like understanding key parts of a computer, how to turn it on, and foundational keyboard and mouse functions. It also teaches learners about fundamental internet terminology and functions, like opening a browser, navigating websites, and recognizing different domains and what they mean.
Encouraging collaboration. At its core, the internet was built for collaboration and communication. EnGen’s digital literacy courses teach learners how to build systems of collaboration starting with email. Learners leave the pathway understanding how to create an email account, send, read, and reply to email, and recognize potentially suspicious communication.
Building a culture of online safety. Creating cultures that foster online safety begins with equipping workers with the skills to understand and mitigate online threats. Our digital literacy pathway provides learners with critical safety knowledge like what information and data needs to be protected, identifying suspicious content on the internet, and evaluating that data for threats.
EnGen’s Digital Literacy pathway equips learners with the foundational English and tech skills to prepare for careers in high-demand fields. Learners can continue to access EnGen pathways from software engineering and IT Helpdesk to our suite of courses in Allied Healthcare, manufacturing and trades, all of which require facility with technology.
Closing the digital equity gap benefits all of us. Learn how EnGen can support state governments – along with workforce boards, employers, and other stakeholders – in championing immigrants and refugees’ digital literacy and building a future-ready, equitable workforce. Schedule a demo with one of our workforce development experts.