Stacey Bradley, a single mother who lives in East Brainerd, has worked for the past seven years as an educational assistant helping students get interested in science and technology in Hamilton County schools.
Bradley said she was eager to pursue a technology career herself, but the cost of tuition, child care and lost income to pursue information technology training in college proved to be a financial struggle.
“I was going to have to come up with about $5,000, which would have been very difficult for me,” she said in an interview Monday.
Bradley said a dream opportunity opened up for her when she heard about a new training program to aid low- and moderate-income workers get a Google information technology certification while being paid to go to school. The program was launched with its first class of 10 students last year, and a second class began a similar nine-week class Monday at the Chattanooga Youth and Family Development center on the Westside.
“This is a great opportunity to update and improve my skills and income and get in a field with lots of opportunity,” said Tai Norman, an Army veteran who previously worked in information technology in the military and is trying to develop an app for employment placement.