According to a 2021 report from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (https://itif.org/publications/2021/11/29/assessing-state-digital-skills-us-economy/), the United States needs to significantly increase its investment in workforce training, including for digital skills. Their report dove into the abilities of today's working-age Americans, and the results are shocking. One in six working-age Americans are unable to use email, web search, or other basic digital tools. Closing the divide in digital skills is crucial for American's financial and workforce future.

We were lucky enough to talk about the digital divide with Scott Kuchinsky. Scott is an experienced educator, program administrator, and licensed attorney. Currently, he's worked as the Director of Literacy Service at Plainfield Public Library in New Jersey. In this role, Scott oversees 300 adult learners, 50 volunteer teachers, along with a team of paid employees. He's passionate about the impact of digital training and industry-certification, and designed instructional materials for New Jersey State Library's Literacy Bootcamp Program, leveraging Certiport's IC3 Digital Literacy certification.

In this episode, we explain what the digital divide is, how digital literacy differs from digital fluency, and the impact the divide has on different populations. Scott also shares his preferred funding sources, and how to make sure you secure funding for your digital literacy program.

Discover more about the success happening at Plainfield Public Library here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uix0ISapfjs and here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZnongEoAAs&t=4s.

Learn more about Certiport's IC3 Digital Literacy program here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/IC3/Digital-Literacy-Certification/Overview.