New White Plains Program to Prepare Youth For Digital Careers

Help wanted ads are commonly looking for qualified individuals to join the “digital workforce.”

Frank Williams Jr. spoke in front of a group of teens last Wednesday afternoon about a new youth program, offering opportunities to develop the necessary skills to land such a job.

And while the Youth Bureau executive director spoke during the City Hall unveiling, he relayed how he’d recently read how a few thousand cybersecurity jobs are estimated to be unfilled next year.

Those workers may be tasked with fighting online scams and hacking. But that’s just the beginning of the conversation on the digital landscape and what jobs may be created over time.

“Soon cash is going to be obsolete,” Williams said afterwards. “It’s the way of the world.”

How to continue forward “starts with our young people,” he emphasized, after Councilman Jeremiah Frei-Pearson, chair of the youth board and one of many officials in attendance, pointed out to the 14- and 15-year-olds how a digital world offers opportunities to connect with people in other countries, but also makes them vulnerable to threats from bad actors.

“We need to begin to engage our young people in these skillsets because there is a shortage,” said Williams.

The Youth Bureau and City of White Plains have partnered with the College of Westchester to roll out the new program, Project Digital JumpStart, for up to 50 White Plains High School students primarily in the 11th and 12th grades, but also 10th.

They’ll be offered affordable and free opportunities to gain introductory experiences and education related to today’s technologies.

An idea of Mayor Thomas Roach, the program will offer fall workshops for coding, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, among other related fields, as well as ones geared toward financial literacy and other career skills and networking.

Sessions will oftentimes be Saturday, the first of which will be Sept. 14, and will be funded with the help of a $75,000 grant recently awarded by Comcast and U.S. Conference of Mayors to the city.

“A key component of the program is financial literacy with workshops empowering students to navigate college finances and other finances,” said Erica Schact, vice president of academic affairs and dean of faculty at the College of Westchester.

“Small class sizes will ensure individual attention and foster collaboration among students from diverse backgrounds. Our career services will be included as well and they offer direct engagement with local employers, career cafes and job fairs, enhancing additional professional opportunities.”

In the winter and summer, those same students will have the chance to take two college foundation courses focused on personal computers and operating systems, earning six credits in the process.

“These credits not only provide a head start in their higher education journey but also equip them with essential skills and knowledge for thriving in the digital workforce,” said Schact.

Project Digital Jumpstart will extend through next August and is now part of the college’s early college “Jumpstart” programming – each year serving approximately 200 high school students and many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Funding has not yet been identified for future years of the Project Digital JumpStart. However, the mayor touted how the city has a “high batting average” when it comes to receiving grants for youth programming through the U.S. Conference of Mayors, having received past awards related to healthy eating and the arts.

Pride was on display for the Youth Bureau and the benefits to earning college credits as a high school student, but also the impact different offerings can have on area kids.

“Between the school district, the youth bureau, our nonprofits, we work together as a community for our young people and put as many things in front of them as we can, whether its boxing, or playing guitar or coding,” said Roach.

“When a young person finds something that they love and are good at, it raises their self-esteem in every area of their lives,” he added.

The Common Council accepted the $75,000 grant Aug. 5 after the city was one of 10 across the country to be awarded funding to address digital equity challenges.

That same night, the councilmembers formalized a Westchester County Youth Bureau award of $17,224 for the White Plains 2024 Summer Youth Employment Program, offering 16- to 24-year-olds six weeks of comprehensive training.

If interested in learning more or signing up for Project Digital JumpStart, call the Youth Bureau at 914-422-1378, or email Elizabeth Almonte, deputy director, at ealmonte@whiteplainsny.gov.