Byte Back Bites Back at Under-Employment

Fusion Authority recently learned about an interesting new site called ByteBack.org. On the surface, Byte Back is just another computer training company. The inside story is much more interesting, heartwarming, and illustrative of the open hearts of the ColdFusion community.

Byte Back is what my late paternal grandmother would have very approvingly called a "bootstrapper." It is an organization dedicated to helping unemployed and under-employed DC area adults and youth help themselves. By providing computer training, Byte Back enables them to qualify for better jobs, letting them "pull themselves up by their own bootstraps."

In an interview with Janet Lathan, Director of Education and Webmaster for Byte Back, we got a good look at the internal structure of this amazing program. Under the direction of Glenn Stein, ByteBack, a duly vetted 501(c)3 non-profit, has no less than three separate training programs.

The first has the widest reach: Byte Back operates computer training classes for eight different not-for-profits, ranging from homeless shelters to the local Boys & Girls Club's parent outreach initiative. Several more will open this year. Over seventy classes a week (easily 1,000 hours of instruction) are already offered, reaching some 600 students, ranging in age from late teens on up. Classes are small: just 10-12 students, with a Byte Back intern and a volunteer teacher. New sessions open every three months. Classes are, for the most part, free, although some of the participating sites do charge a nominal fee to help cover administrative costs and improve attendance.

Once these courses have been mastered, most students are far more prepared to meet the demands of an increasingly technological work world. Some continue onward to the next phase, with carefully chosen additional candidates, into Byte Back's internship program. Students in this program choose a major as if they were in College, specializing in various aspects of the computer industry, including the Internet and ColdFusion. They also maintain the computer labs and assist the volunteer teachers in the classes given at the various affiliate organization sites.

Ms. Lathan waxes eloquent when discussing the success stories of this part of the program. Of the seven recent graduates, almost half were offered starting salaries of $32,000 or better. Of these three graduates, two had been homeless and another was a graduate of the penal system!

Byte Back's third program is new. A pilot group of 7-19 year olds now meets at Byte Back's headquarters to learn computer skills. The combination of self-esteem-assuring one-to-one attention and the possibility of earning a living (or better) wage upon completion gives these youngster a whole new world of choices and chances.

Michael Smith, noted CF programmer and author, president of TeraTech and organizer of the E-Commerce Conference, held February 12-13 in the DC area, is among the many local area businessmen who are proud to donate their time to Byte Back. "We were so pleased to have students from Byte Back attend our conference, both this year and last," he said. "We hope it helps them take advantage of the many new opportunities available to everyone on the Internet."

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