Home Posts tagged Tech Hub

Tech Foundry Awarded Laptops Through the Connected and Online Program

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Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Tech Foundry, a regional leader in IT workforce development and training, recently received a donation of 30 laptops to its Tech Hub programs through the Connected and Online Program, overseen by the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI), a division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech).

The Connected and Online Program is designed to increase access to education, workforce development, and healthcare services with a particular focus on Gateway Cities and rural communities. The donated laptops will be used for Tech Hub’s digital literacy community workshops hosted throughout Western Mass.

MBI is working to extend high-speed internet access and availability across the state. To achieve this, MBI uses state and federal funding to launch infrastructure expansion programs that target areas of the state that lack high- speed internet access as well as digital equity programs that tackle barriers to internet adoption and increase availability, addressing critical issues around affordability, enhanced public Wi-Fi, the need for internet-enabled devices, and digital literacy training. For more information, visit broadband.masstech.org.

Tech Hub in Holyoke to Drastically Cut Services Due to Funding Shortfall

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Tech Foundry, the regional leader in IT workforce development and training, was notified late last month that the Trump administration is clawing back funding for digital equity efforts nationally. As a result, digital literacy training, tech support, and device distribution services at its Tech Hub in Holyoke will be drastically reduced in August.

The Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) is the state-level funding entity for digital equity initiatives. In mid-May, MBI communicated that it is suspending the Launchpad grant program until further notice due to the funding rescission.

Beginning on Aug. 7, Tech Hub Holyoke, located at 206 Maple St., will offer limited workshops (schedule to be released soon), and community workshops in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties will be suspended until additional funding is secured. Tech Hub Springfield, located at 1350 Main St., will continue to offer classes, tech support, and device distribution to Springfield residents. More information, including reserving class participation and tech support services, can be found at techhubmass.net.

Tech Foundry, HCC to Celebrate Grand Opening of Tech Hub on Oct. 25

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE — Tech Foundry, a regional leader in IT workforce development and training, in partnership with Holyoke Community College (HCC), will celebrate the grand opening of Tech Foundry’s new Tech Hub on Wednesday, Oct. 25, beginning at 10 a.m. on the first floor of HCC’s Picknelly Adult and Family Education Center, located at 206 Maple St., Holyoke.

The following day, Thursday, Oct. 26, Tech Hub will officially open to the general public, offering free services and classes that include digital skills training workshops, walk-in IT support and troubleshooting, internet-connectivity consultations, and computer distribution (free in limited quantities).

Tech Hub, a program of the Springfield-based nonprofit Tech Foundry, was started in 2023 as part of a statewide initiative of the Western Massachusetts Alliance for Digital Equity, which received a $5.1 million grant earlier this year from the Massachusetts Broadband Institute. Along with HCC, other key partners and supporters of the Tech Hub project include the Accelerate the Future Foundation, Comcast, Google, Bulkley Richardson, and the Massachusetts Broadband Institute.

“Tech Hub’s mission is to empower Massachusetts residents through access to the skills and technology needed to thrive in the digital world,” said Michelle Wilson, deputy director of Tech Foundry.

The Oct. 25 celebration will include a tour of the Tech Hub facility, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and remarks from attendees, including Tech Foundry CEO Tricia Canavan; HCC President George Timmons; Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia; state Rep. Pat Duffy; Frank Robinson, vice president for Community Relations and Public Health at BayState Health and chair of the Western Massachusetts Alliance for Digital Equity; and Dan Glanville, vice president of Government Affairs and Community Impact for Comcast’s Western New England Region.

“We understand the important role that the Internet plays in helping build a future of unlimited possibilities for everyone in the community,” Glanville said. “We are proud to partner with organizations like Tech Foundry that are making it easier for people across Western Massachusetts to adopt the internet and succeed in an increasingly digital world.”

Starting Oct. 26, Tech Hub will be open noon to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with classes held from noon to 1 p.m. and 5 to 6 p.m. On Mondays and Fridays, Tech Hub Manager Shannon Mumblo and Tech Hub fellows will take their IT services into the community around Western Mass.

“We’re starting by doing outreach in Springfield and Holyoke, and we have also been making partnerships with different organizations in Amherst and South Hadley,” Mumblo said. “We will take our workshops on the road and go to the places and spaces where they are needed.”

To learn more, sign up for classes, and access Tech Hub help-desk support, visit techhubmass.net.