Office Accounting Express helps Miami bridge the Digital Divide
I am attending the US Conference of Mayors in Miami, Florida. Digital inclusion is a hot topic down here, where it is a common belief that the communities need to adopt technology to avoid being lost in an increasingly connected world.
The City of Miami launched Elevate Miami about two years ago where they provide computer access and training to their citizens. Part of the program is to get people out of poverty by helping them start their own business. This includes basic business training, technology training as well as microloans and grants.
Microsoft has assisted in this effort with the free Office Accounting Express and Office Live Small Business web site offerings as well as providing technology training together with the local colleges and Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs).
We had a lot of interest from other major cities and we are working on scaling this effort to become a national effort.
So ping me if you work with community training or digital inclusion. We have regional engagement teams and we are already piloting technology training in a number of locations.