Guilford County Schools to train and certify parents in information technology

Guilford County Schools is launching a free 12-week program to train and certify parents and guardians in information technology.

It’s called the Dual Generation Workforce Initiative.

Superintendent Whitney Oakley says it will cover topics like cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. She says this is part of the district’s commitment to equity.

“We have lots of hyper-segregated areas of poverty in our community, and this was just one strategy that we came up with to begin to address that," Oakley said. "But it's going to take more than two programs and a couple of credentials. But that is a sustainable thing for a family that can begin to disrupt the generational poverty that exists.”

The cohort will meet nightly from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. in the cybersecurity labs at Kearns Academy and Northeast Guilford High School. CompTIA, a non-profit trade association, will provide the training. 

To eliminate barriers to participation, GCS is also partnering with GuilfordWorks, a workforce development organization, to provide childcare to parents in the program. 

The initiative is funded through Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) dollars, which is federal money intended to address the impacts of COVID-19. 

The first cohort is set to begin training on Nov. 14. Guilford County Schools will host virtual information sessions about the initiative on Nov. 3 at 5:30 p.m. and Nov. 9 at noon, for those interested in enrolling. 

The link to register for the information sessions can be found here.

Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.