Maysville Community and Technical College receives digital literacy grant

Maysville Community and Technical College has received a $9,460 grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. The grant will benefit the school’s Adult Education program and will fund the purchase of loaner laptops that will assist adult students who may not have access to technology to complete their education.

According to an article on Maysville Community and Technical College’s website, Dustin Grooms, who serves as the director of Adult Education, was quoted as saying of the grant, “The funds awarded to our program will allow us to provide our learners with reliable laptop computers so that they can continue to pursue their educational goals. We have always aimed to put our learners’ needs first, and this grant award is a tangible way for us to demonstrate that.”

Grooms went on to discuss why the grant will be so beneficial to the Adult Education program, saying, “Across the largely rural service area for MCTC’s adult education program, the digital divide continues to be a significant barrier for many of our learners. Access to, and affordability of, broadband internet and reliable devices is a major hurdle for our core population. Many of our students are in low-income households and lack the resources needed to thrive. Additionally, as many of our learners work for a living, maintain households, and have everyday needs to attend to, regular daytime hours don’t work for their busy schedules. We are grateful for these funds to expand these services, particularly in a year of steep budget cuts when every dollar is being stretched.”

Maysville Community and Technical College’s Adult Education program teaches reading, writing, technology literacy, and math. Currently, 113 students are enrolled throughout the college’s seven-county service area. It has been noted that students in the program sometimes do not have access to the necessary technology to complete their coursework. With the funding from this grant, the program will be able to purchase loaner laptops that will give students access to the needed technology.

For more information about Maysville Community and Technical College, visit the school’s website.