By John T. Moore

Washington, D.C.

Greg Hunt isn't certain where his life would have taken him without the computer training he received from a two-year-old Washington, D.C., nonprofit that works with inner city residents.

Instead of facing that uncertainty, Hunt is now working as a software developer for the federal government, and he credits the help he got from Byte Back for where he is today. Byte Back is an organization that works to close the "digital divide" by providing computer training for unemployed and under-employed adults and youth in D.C.

"Byte Back has been a sort of lifeline for me," says Hunt, a March 1998 graduate of the program. "This organization has 'fed' me the essentials to grow and mature into the 21st century."

Through the organization, Hunt learned everything from hardware configuration to software installation, programming and network administration.

Hunt isn't the only one who has gotten help from the organization. Each week, Byte Back runs 70 classes that provide more than 550 students and 33 interns with 1,150 hours of instruction in everything from computer basics and Windows 95 introduction to Word, Excel, Power Point, Internet or Access.

Byte Back's most advanced training, though, is its internship program, which provides advanced training for students who want to pursue a career in the computer industry. These students all demonstrate the ability to pursue their career goals.

Students are provided a fast-track advanced training curriculum that includes ten hours of training per week in network administration, programming, database development, Web development and PC hardware.

After nine months, they select an area of specialty they will work in for the next three months. The interns need to pass these classes and complete a final project in order to graduate.

The interns often solve staffing shortages for the organization by filling in as substitute teachers and offering technical support. Additionally, they are provided on-the-job experience.

Byte Back's first six interns graduated in January 1999 and quickly obtained jobs in the computer industry, earning a reported average of $32,000 per year, says Glenn Stein, who founded the nonprofit in 1997 after the government began talking about cuts to affirmative action programs.

The prospect of cutting such programs angered Stein and prompted him to consider what he could do as a response. He ended up taking a cue from his own career.

In 1994, Stein started working as a computer programmer, although he had no formal training or certification. He wanted to come up with a way to share his skills with low-income people in the area.

"I felt that if I could work with no real credentials -- other than the fact that I knew how to do the work -- they could, too," Stein says.

First he surveyed what types of training programs were available in Washington, D.C., for low-income people. He concluded that the best thing he could do would be to recruit people like himself to do the training. That, he says, is how Byte Back evolved.

"I didn't have a plan to start a nonprofit. I was just trying to see how I could be helpful," Stein says.

Stein has formed partnerships with seven area nonprofits, which provide free classroom space, recruit and screen candidates, handle security and registration. Byte Back does the technical support, supplies teachers and curriculum and runs the programs.

A new Byte Back program that hasn't yet made it to those support sites is the Power Up Youth Program, a pilot project that offers after-school computer skill sessions. Students work with digital cameras, develop PowerPoint presentations, and design Web pages.

That program is only offered at Byte Back headquarters. Once the curriculum is developed, it may become part of the programs at the group's other locations.

"We're becoming pretty well known," Stein says, adding that just about every Byte Back class is full. New students usually get in within seven weeks, though.

Program graduate Hunt says the organization's success is due to a group of dedicated individuals including Stein who are committed to providing their students with the best they have to offer.

"I've learned all I know from Byte Back and its group of devoted volunteers who give freely of their time and expertise," Hunt says. "I've received -- now I give back as a Byte Back volunteer."

Every Thursday morning Hunt teaches a Microsoft Access class to one of Byte Back's current intern classes.

John T. Moore can be reached at
johntm@mindspring.com