D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray and the Microsoft Corporation announced a training plan to help city students and teachers become more computer literate and help close the "digital divide."
Most modern-day jobs require some computer skills, city leaders said.
Microsoft, a worldwide company with a modest presence in the District, wants to help the city train workers for the future.
Gray has said creating more jobs is a priority -- especially east of the river, where unemployment is high and many modern work skills are low.
“We've got people over here who need a job, we've got people over here who have jobs, and the city is acting as the bridge," the mayor said.
The corporation said it will train several hundred students and teachers -- no precise numbers were given -- in the program that will include training by Howard University’s math and technology facullty.
Community leaders like Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes welcomed the new program -- especially its plan to recruit high school girls who often are overlooked.
The first, two-day training program for city teachers and educators will be held at Howard University this spring.
