Charlotte's biggest players are banding together to solve one of the city's glaring problems — the digital divide.
That was the idea behind Thursday's Tech Rising virtual summit, an event led by AvidXchange Inc. Charlotte-based AvidXchange, an automated payments provider, launched the Tech Rising initiative last summer to provide more resources to local students.
The three-year plan includes technology access for 5,000 elementary school students, programs for 16,000 middle school students and career training for 8,000 high school students.
"It's really around providing an even playing field and creating the same type of opportunities, regardless of the economic background that these kids find themselves in," AvidXchange CEO Mike Praeger said. "Every day that goes by that somebody doesn't have the right technology, they're just falling further and further behind."
Tech Rising has so far provided roughly 2,000 laptops to underserved students. Internet access is another hurdle for many of them, Praeger noted. The pandemic only made these challenges more apparent.
These opportunities also have to extend to surrounding counties, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said during a virtual fireside chat on Thursday. Smaller towns and more rural counties need broadband access, as an example, to support those people, Lyles said.
Schools also need to have the capacity to teach students the future tech skills they will need, she said. It has to be a multifaceted approach with a range of participants.
The Tech Rising initiative has about two-dozen of corporate partners, including Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC), Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE: HON), Lowe's Cos. Inc. (NYSE: LOW) and Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE: DUK), among others.
Praeger said this initiative is important from a business standpoint. Doing this work now will help create a tech-literate workforce and an employee pool that can succeed at different types of companies, he said. He also views it as businesses taking it upon themselves to create their own talent pipeline.
Lyles named medical records work and remote teaching as two examples of jobs that require tech knowledge.
"These are just the examples of the now. Imagine what the examples are as we move forward in our recovery from this pandemic and our recovery economically for what's going to be our next opportunity in this country," Lyles said.
Randy Alexander is site leader for the Lowe's tech hub in Charlotte. The home-improvement company announced in mid-2019 its plans to anchor a 23-story tower in South End, investing $153 million in an office to house up to 2,000 tech employees. The tower is set to deliver at the end of this year.
Lowe's has for years been involved in efforts tackling disparities in tech. For example, it has given close to 11,000 old laptops to E2D, a local organization that seeks to provide affordable tech access to families. E2D is helping with the Tech Rising initiative. Lowe's has also donated to several local economic-development and housing programs.
Alexander said, after 2019's tech hub announcement, Lowe's wanted more involvement in nonprofit tech partnerships — at the corporate level and down to employee volunteers.
Tech Rising is now working on a Tech All-Stars program in late April with 160 students, Alexander said. Lowe's is also planning to help identify mentorship opportunities for those students. He said there is still work to do in equipment and Wi-Fi accessibility for families.
Praeger said he is proud of Charlotte's willingness to take collaborative steps — it was one of the factors that first attracted him to the city. He said Tech Rising will have completed its mission when students no longer have to think about unequal opportunities.
