$4.7 million will make local centers better click

The federal government is sending nearly $4.7 million in economic stimulus money to Southern Nevada for computer training centers, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said Tuesday.

The grant, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, is being given to the Clark County Urban League to expand capacity at 14 existing computer centers and create 15 new centers, Locke said in a conference call from Washington, D.C.

The Department of Commerce has handed out 11 grants totaling $42 million for computer training centers throughout the United States, the secretary said.

The new computer centers in Las Vegas, located in low-income neighborhood community centers, will replace 100 outdated computer stations and add 90 stations. They will boost capacity from 1,600 users a week to 4,600 users, he said.

The facilities will offer computer classes, job training and certification programs and community health programs through local partner organizations.

"Too many communities in Clark County and across the country are stuck with 20th-century infrastructure in a 21st-century global economy," Locke said. "Today's grant is a small, but important step to finding work and creating job opportunity."

The centers provide online tools and training for people seeking employment, as well as course work in subject matters not always found in high schools and community colleges, he said.

Locke had no estimate of how many jobs the funding would create in Southern Nevada, but he said the buildout of computer centers will employ a lot of workers from the construction trades, as well as technicians to wire and install the computer systems. It also benefits local companies that sell computer equipment and office supplies.

Spanish-speaking instructors will be hired to help the Hispanic population.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said community centers and senior centers play an important role for Southern Nevadans looking to upgrade their skills and find a job. There will be a coordinated outreach with minority-owned businesses, he said.

"It shows how our society has changed," Reid said during the conference call. "If we talk about building a new office, everyone understands what it takes. Basically that's what this is, but instead of offices, we're setting up centers to do computer work. This is going to create jobs."

Locke said the computer centers will help stimulate the economy in a number of ways. People can get training for better job opportunities, community college students can quicken their studies and people who make things out of their home or garage can get more business exposure, he said.

Reid said job seekers can add to their résumé that they were trained by Urban League computer centers.

U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., praised the grant that will expand computer access for many Southern Nevada residents. They can search for employment and acquire new job skills, pay bills over the Internet or keep in touch with family and friends, she said.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law by President Obama as a direct response to the economic crisis in February 2009. Its goals are to create new jobs, as well as save existing ones; spur economic activity and investment in long-term growth; and foster unprecedented levels of accountability and transparency in government spending.

Tom Power, chief of staff of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, said the Clark County Urban League will draw funds from the Commerce Department and spend them according to the grant. Five computer centers will be built every three months, he said.

The 23 grants announced Tuesday, totaling more than $160 million, will lay the groundwork to bring high-speed Internet access to millions of households and businesses and link up thousands of schools, hospitals, libraries and public safety offices to the information superhighway.

"Over the long term, enabling our people to create new products and new ways of doing business will help communities throughout the country get onto a sustainable growth path, and that's what the Recovery Act is all about," Locke said.

Contact reporter Hubble Smith at hsmith@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0491. Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault contributed to this report.