West Philly residents can get a free laptop by completing a digital skills training

For many Philly residents, getting a new laptop is just a simple training course away. 

An initiative at Drexel University’s ExCITe Center invites locals to stop by for help, explained Kevin Young, a digital navigator working for the organization. When residents finish the course, they get to leave with a free computer.

“We’ll instruct you as to how to make use of this technology, remove the fear factor, and then give you a machine so that you can continue to hone your skills,” Young said.

It’s all thanks to the city’s digital navigator program, which partners with four nonprofits around the city to help residents access online services and more.

Young joined reporter Sarah Huffman on Technical.ly Speaking, a monthly segment on WURD Radio’s “Reality Check” hosted by Tonya Pendleton.

Any adult in the West Philadelphia area the program serves can access the course. The Drexel-run center tries not to encroach on the regions designated for other digital navigator organizations, but Young said the nonprofits work together as needed to help as many residents as possible improve their digital knowledge. 

The program includes six self-paced modules, about 35 to 45 minutes each, that residents must complete to qualify, according to Young. There are practice quizzes along the way before a final in-person assessment to pass the course and earn the device — plus the opportunity to dig in for more learning. 

“After those six modules,” Young said, “there’s about another dozen on the backend that are more intermediate, that you can have access to and continue to upgrade your overall digital skill sets.”

Certificates of completion from the more advanced courses can be used to bolster a resume or prove qualifications to a potential workplace, he said.

Digital navigators first cropped up in the US during the pandemic, when going online became essential for day-to-day life, work and school. The program landed in Philly in June 2020, soon after the model was established, and has evolved over the years. These days, anyone familiar with digital resources and IT can become a navigator, depending on organization and community needs.

It’s more than just tech assistance, though. At the ExCITe Center, people often come for help with digital skills, then keep returning to use the computer lab, sign up for other classes or take advantage of health screenings, according to Young. 

The programs are open to all adults, regardless of tech familiarity.

“People come to us and they can’t even really turn on a laptop,” Young said. “We try to encourage people to at least learn how to cross that vast digital divide.”