Microgrant opportunities available to build tech talent pipeline
Education leaders from across the Commonwealth gathered Sept. 26 in the Capitol Rotunda where We Lead Computer Science (CS) announced $100,000 in microgrants to chambers of commerce to work with businesses and schools to build the state’s tech talent pipeline.
“The work being done by We Lead CS will help increase the state’s competitiveness in the technology economy and expand our capacity to educate and prepare high school students for the tech workforce,” said Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher. “By working together, we are making sure Kentucky’s students have the skills they need to achieve lifelong success, and our businesses have the people they need to prosper and grow.”
We Lead CS is a virtual computer science career academy created by the Kentucky General Assembly that serves Kentucky students. The organization plans to recruit 300 new students for the 2025-26 school year.
Alicia Sells, We Lead CS chief executive officer, said through the microgrant program chambers of commerce will bring employers and We Lead CS students together for job shadowing, projects and internships during the students’ high school years.
“Chambers across the state know local businesses better than anyone, so we’re asking them to take the lead on identifying what Kentucky’s small, medium and large employers need to fill and create tech jobs,” Sells said.
Kentucky averages more than 3,400 open computing jobs each month across all regions of the Commonwealth, with an average annual salary of almost $80,000, Sells said.
We Lead CS has also partnered with the INTERalliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping students explore and pursue technology degrees and careers. The INTERalliance will connect We Lead CS students with Kentucky companies.
Chambers of commerce that show a dedication to improving computer science education for students can apply for microgrants. Chambers are encouraged to use the funds to establish programs and support networks in collaboration with nearby colleges, universities and IT firms.
The deadline to apply for microgrants is Nov. 15. Interested chambers and school districts can register for a webinar to learn more about the grant program at weleadcs.org. Winners will be announced in mid-December.
KDE continues improving on nation-leading school internet infrastructure
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) continues to build on Kentucky’s top-tier internet infrastructure, partnering with Education Networks of America (ENA) by Zayo to modernize and upgrade internet connectivity within Kentucky’s 171 school districts, the Kentucky School for the Deaf, the Kentucky School for the Blind, Kentucky’s 50 area technology centers and the KDE office in Frankfort.
David Couch, associate commissioner in the KDE Office of Education Technology, said Kentucky was already a leader in K-12 internet capabilities, being the first state to connect every public school to the internet in 1995. The new partnership with ENA by Zayo will keep the same high-quality service in place that Kentucky schools have come to expect, with ENA by Zayo providing bandwidth services with at least 75% more capacity for the same price as KDE’s prior service, he said.
“Kentucky K-12 education is unique in that no other state requires cloud-based computing for educational, administrative and communication purposes of the internet network like ours,” Couch said. “The additional bandwidth is a game changer since we use standardized cloud-based services for several critical technology functions across Kentucky’s schools, district offices and the KDE office in Frankfort.”
Through this collaboration, KDE will meet the national goal of 1 Mbps of internet bandwidth per K-12 student set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Previously, Kentucky was the first state to reach the FCC national goal of 100 Kbps internet speeds per K-12 student in 2015.
Proactively ensuring its internet service is secure and capable allows KDE to maximize future state and federal funding opportunities, enabling the department to continue bridging educational gaps, Couch said.
Couch also noted the transition from one internet provider to another in every district only took 10 months.