SHA Jobs Plus Program partners with Complete 3 Tech Solutions to bring free technology training to community

On Monday,  The Selma Housing Authority Job Plus Program partnered with Complete 3 Tech Solutions and several neighboring businesses to kick off its 2nd annual community training bootcamp. | The Selma and Dallas County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Information

By Faith Callens

Special to the Selma and Dallas County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Information

On Monday, The Selma Housing Authority Jobs Plus Program partnered with a Birmingham-based computer support company called Complete 3 Tech Solutions to bring a free technology training to its residents, equipping them with the skills needed for today’s workforce.

Through the C3TS program’s partnership, residents of the GWC community alongside the Felix Heights community could take advantage of the hands-on basic technology classes offered through a quick sign-up process held at the SHA’s Job Plus office at 414 Martin Luther King Street. 

“Through our program, we offer three courses,” said C3TS Executive Director Chris White. “Technology 101: Computer Basics, Technology 102: Digital Skills for Work and Life and Technology 103: Workplace Technology and Career Readiness.”

 White said the classes can give residents who sign up an opportunity to learn more about technology and its benefits while ensuring that they have the foundational skills down pack.

“[We want] to make residents feel good about working with a computer, laptop or a tablet,” White said. “Then from there, we build our customized tracks for you. So, if you want to learn how to utilize AI for certain things, we help you with that. If you want to go into computer programming, cyber security, graphic designing or whatever in the space within IT because it’s so broad, we can help you find out your interest level and we are able to customize a good service track for you so that you can get the certification that you need.”

White said each course that the residents take will be set up for three weeks and that they will meet twice a week. 

“We will meet and have a morning class and afternoon class, and we will discuss materials for two hours in the morning or two hours in the afternoon,” White said. “Residents can choose either option and we will be in training for three weeks, then we will take a week off and come back for another three weeks and then we would have the week off again for the next one. These will be hands-on classes for the first area and after that we will set up the hybrid or remote classes that will be more specialized with what each individual resident is looking for.” 

White also said residents who are interested in the technology training program must be 18 years old or older. 

In addition to White’s technology program, businesses such as Wallace Community College Selma, CarePro Community Health and Education Services, and Rise and Recover: Substance Use Recovery Services including several others engaged with SHA residents, sharing information about their services and how they can benefit them in the long run.

SHA intake coordinator Kewanda Vandiver also spoke to the residents as well. 

“I work along with the Jobs Plus Program, and we know that a part of their commitment to the community is to bring resources to the tenants of GWC and Felix heights and so one of the resources that I provide is being an intake coordinator with them,” Vandiver said. “When residents come to see the case manager, I also grab them, and I sit down with them and assess what’s going on in their life. I gather information from them and with that information, it gives me a snippet of if some things are going on in the background that we need to dig a little bit more deeper in.”

Vandiver said if she senses areas of need when talking to the residents, she will provide them with self-care tips, ways to help them manage stages of grief including providing other ways of support any way she can through her business, Designed to Uplift.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, The SHA Job Plus Program hosted presentation days for the participating businesses, allowing them to highlight their services to the SHA community. 

The sessions held also gave residents who attended the presentation days an opportunity to ask questions, receive in person guidance and have a possible brighter outlook on their future. 

Job Plus Director Sandra Russell said she is proud of how the partnership with Complete 3 Tech Solutions and the other participating businesses has turned out. 

“It has been awesome,” said Russell. “We have had a lot of residents come out to participate in the program and sign up. I think this partnership will help them down the road because our program helps break barriers that they may run into trying to gain employment.”

Russell said if there are any residents who would like to still sign up for the technology program or learn more about the other businesses’ that were present at the presentation day to contact their Job Plus office at 334-874-6271, ext. 309.