AASHTO Journal - NCDOT Helps Donate Laptops to 700 State Residents

The North Carolina Department of Transportation recently helped donate new laptops to 700 state residents for free as part of a state initiative to improve access to technology in underserved areas.

[Above photo by NCDOT]

Each laptop comes with a hotspot for high-speed internet access, Microsoft Office software, and carrying cases. About 200 people have received laptops and NCDOT officials plan to distribute another 500 laptops later this year.

The initiative is funded with a $1.3 million federal Digital Opportunity Grant from the American Rescue Plan Act. The N.C. Department of Information Technology administers the federal grant and selected NCDOT’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Compliance to receive the funds for the laptop initiative.

NCDOT noted that 15 students from Southern School of Energy and Sustainability in Durham and McDowell High School in Marion received free Hewlett-Packard laptops following an event highlighting this technology initiative at the agency’s headquarters in Raleigh.

“These individuals – most of whom live or work in rural or underserved communities – will gain the tools they need to pursue workforce opportunities and continue their career journeys,” said Daniel Johnson, NCDOT secretary, in a statement.

“By expanding access to virtual learning, digital services and online resources, we’re helping reduce barriers and create more pathways to success,” he noted.

Staff in NCDOT’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Compliance identified a need for technology among the laptop recipients, most of whom live or work in the state’s underserved or rural areas and each recipient will also receive basic computer skills training.

The people receiving laptops include:

Adults who completed NCDOT’s Highway Construction Trade Academy, a two-week course that aims to prepare people for entry-level careers in road construction.
Small business owners in the transportation industry identified by NCDOT as having a need because they have limited access to technology.
Rising juniors and seniors in North Carolina who completed a high school construction course and NCDOT’s Transportation Summer Accelerator. The accelerator is a two-week program that introduces students to careers in the transportation construction industry.

“This laptop is much more than a computer,” noted Mary Finley, director of Career and Technical Education for McDowell County Schools; an area among the state’s most economically distressed, where access to computers or high-speed internet can be difficult to come by.

“That’s why today’s gift is so meaningful,” she said. “It can be used to complete homework, apply for college, fill out financial aid forms, search for scholarships, build a resume, apply for jobs, or earn certifications that lead directly to a career.”