New Global Technology Center Launched
As we continue to increase and expand our virtual training and mentoring programs, the additional volume of students and participants was generating higher numbers of simple, but tedious technical support requests. This is mainly due to participants being unfamiliar with computers.
In the past, these questions were all handled by our small 2-person programming team in Managua, Nicaragua. This steady increase of simple technical questions created a problem of consuming their valuable programming and development time.
That was when the idea of creating a new Global Technology Center was put into action.
We repurposed an empty room at our Managua Center for Education and Mentoring to become our new Global Technology Center. We promoted one of our programming staff to manage this new center.
Students who have taken other vocational courses from us are being trained how to answer these common, yet simple computer questions. These students are able to perform their service hours through volunteering at our Global Technical Center. In addition, they are gaining valuable work experience helping them qualify for higher-income jobs after they complete their vocational training from Mentors International.
A generous donor provided the funding for additional computers and equipment to aid us in launching this new program. The Global Technology Center has now been operating for five months with great success. Our students are receiving quick resolutions to their questions, and our programming team is able to work on programming our online infrastructure to help improve our ability to provide our business development and vocational training to all those who have a desire to change their lives and break their cycle of poverty.
Our programming team is credited for developing the proprietary database that allows us to track each individual’s progress towards sustainable self-reliance. We are able to quantifiable track changes in income, personal debt, and savings. Our mentors are able to measure improvements and identify those that are struggling, ensuring that no one falls through the cracks. Our database is being utilized in every country where we serve.
