JumpStart and Verizon Announce Learning Centers to Provide Skill-Based STEM Education to Cleveland Residents

• The Centers, Scheduled to Open in Early 2022, Will Provide Technology Access and Digital Literacy to Community Members of All Ages.

JumpStart and Verizon will officially open two digital learning centers in early 2022, providing community members—from youth to adults—with digital skills and entrepreneurship training. The centers, managed by Jumpstart, will be located within existing community-based facilities in the Clark–Fulton and Union-Miles neighborhoods of Cleveland.

The program will provide K-12 students with STEM education, adults with digital literacy training, and both high school students and adults with workforce development and entrepreneurship learning opportunities. These centers are part of the Verizon Community Forward initiative announced in August 2021, which aims to reinvigorate community spaces in cities across the country, providing residents with free access to resources and digital skills training. Cleveland was selected as one of four pilot cities for the program.

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“JumpStart is thrilled to partner with the Cleveland Public Library and City of Cleveland to bring these innovative learning centers to Cleveland,” said Daniela Tejada, Principal, JumpStart Learning Centers. “We are working diligently with these partners and many others to bring state-of-the-art career and entrepreneurship training to individuals, benefiting our entire community through digital literacy and workforce readiness.”

Construction is already underway on the Clark-Fulton Learning Center, located in the Fulton Branch of Cleveland Public Library at 3545 Fulton Rd. The center is scheduled to open in January 2022. The Union-Miles Learning Center will launch in spring 2022 at the Earl B. Turner Recreation Center at 11300 Miles Ave.

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“Now more than ever, it’s imperative that under-resourced communities have the skills and access to technology they need to be prepared for today’s digital workforce,” said Jessica Cohen, Director of Community Engagement, Verizon. “Together with Jumpstart, our nonprofit partner, Verizon is deepening its investment in Cleveland by creating physical spaces which offer members of the community access to STEM education, workforce development, and digital literacy with the goal to help prepare youth up to adults for jobs of the future.”

STEM-inspired skill-based learning through initiatives such as Verizon Community Forward is a proven driver of economic empowerment and is central to Citizen Verizon, Verizon’s responsible business plan for economic, environmental and social advancement. Launched in 2020 to move the world forward for all, Citizen Verizon leverages technology, innovation and resources to address the world’s most pressing issues across digital inclusion, climate protection and human prosperity. As part of Citizen Verizon, the company’s total 2020-2025 responsible-business investment is slated to exceed $3 billion.

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