Learning is free but you’ve got to want it. Your mind has to want change.
This is Deirdre Leban’s motto.
Since October of 2017, CTN has provided 10 months of training to a group of learners through Austin Pathways, HACA’s lab apprenticeship program (LAP). These trainings prepare students to serve more than 500 affordable-housing residents with the goal of increasing their digital skills to help them re-enter the workforce. Deirdre Leban is one of 20 chosen applicants in the LAP and works at the Meadowbrook Apartments lab in south Austin.
Deirdre considers all types of learning to be vital in the role as a lab apprentice — everything from learning to work with adults and elders to simple features like attaching PDF files to email on the lab computers. After participating in LAP, Deirdre spends more of her time networking and finding new ways to teach herself in order to pass it on to anyone that wants it.
“I try to learn something new at least once a week. I get calls and questions every day in the lab and want to always be able to answer them. Technology is changing every day with new phones, remotes, TV, microwaves, and computers, so we all need to keep up!”
The appenticeship program comes to a close this month, but Deirdre plans to continue to empower Meadowbrook residents with the tools she’s aquired along the way.
