The LINK AMERICAS Foundation and TRAIL Inc. have been honored by the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) as the recipient of the 2014 Innovations in Networking Award for Educational Applications for their JobScout platform.
“We are honored to receive the CENIC Innovations in Networking Award,” said Brenda Kempster, CEO of LINK AMERICAS Foundation, “and thrilled that the importance of digital literacy skills to help individuals find a job has been recognized.”
JobScout began as a collaborative effort of the LINK AMERICAS Foundation, California State Library and the TRAIL team (Technology Resources and Internet Literacy). JobScout launched in 2011 as a pilot project with the California State Library in digital literacy as part of the iCALIFORNIA Digital Literacy Initiative. Following an 18 month pilot phase, JobScout is now operational in more than 900 public libraries statewide along with school districts and community organizations. Its creative approach using gamification, awarding of badges for skills acquisition, and tracking of proficiencies and skills of users through web or mobile accessible learning modules is innovative as a “virtual one stop job shop.” Following success of technology platform via the pilot scale up, TRAIL, Inc. was founded as a startup company by LAF and its TRAIL team members to focus on digital literacy skills and bringing the internet experience to “the next billion users” globally. TRAIL, Inc. now provides services in English and Spanish to libraries, schools, social services offices, workforce development locations and other trusted public institutions offering digital literacy skills online free to individuals. TRAIL’s platforms, JobScout and HealthScout, allow thousands of learners to become Internet savvy. With users in over 12 countries, TRAIL is on its way to becoming the “first stop” on the Internet. TRAIL JobScout is available in English, Spanish and web, iOS and Android versions at www.myjobscout.org.
Innovations in Networking Awards are given annually by CENIC to highlight exemplary innovations which leverage ultra high-bandwidth networking, particularly where those innovations have the potential to revolutionize the ways in which instruction and research are conducted or where they further the deployment of broadband in underserved areas.
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