Community leaders from Urban TEC, Goodwill, Workforce Partnership, and the tech community shared initiatives using mobile units, AI tools, and data analysis to enhance digital skills, remove employment barriers, and pinpoint infrastructure needs in Kansas City.
Kansas City Coalition for Digital Inclusion – July 2025 Recap
The following is a recap summarizing presentations delivered to the Kansas City Coalition for Digital Inclusion on Sept 19, 2025. Speakers included Ina P. Montgomery with Urban TEC, Karen Altenhofen with Goodwill MOKAN, Roberta Rowland with Workforce Partnership, and Hari Narayanan with his broadband clusters tool.
Featured Presentation: Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas
The meeting featured a presentation from Karen Altenhofen, the Director of Workforce Development for Goodwill MOKAN. She highlighted Goodwill’s extensive efforts to promote digital literacy and bridge the digital divide for job seekers in the community.
A key component of their strategy is a mobile workforce unit equipped with technology to offer hands-on training and resources directly to underserved communities. This unit provides assistance with job applications and essential digital skills training. Services are available by request and at regular community partner locations such as Healing House and Sheffield Place. Karen Altenhofen noted that outreach is important, as many potential participants are unaware of the workforce programs available through Goodwill’s thrift operations.
Goodwill also incorporates AI-driven tools to enhance resume building, interview preparation, career exploration, and even translation services for job seekers. To measure success, Goodwill uses pre- and post-assessments to effectively track client progress.
The organization offers various certifications, including customer service, manufacturing, and a bridge to technology course. There are also plans to launch a robotics technician certification program in 2026.
Featured Presentation: Workforce Partnership
Roberta Rowland from Workforce Partnership discussed the role of the local Workforce Development Board. Funded by the Department of Labor, Workforce Partnership serves Johnson, Leavenworth, and Wyandotte counties by helping job seekers with low income or disabilities access training, resources, and labor market data to overcome barriers to employment.
Roberta shared a personal story about moving from an urban area with fiber internet to a rural one with limited access, which highlighted the reality of the digital divide. She emphasized that job seekers often face significant barriers due to a lack of technology access or digital skills that exceed the actual requirements for a job. This can hinder them in basic tasks like creating a resume or navigating online application processes. To address this, Workforce Partnership provides free computer labs and one-on-one assistance.
She also noted the challenges posed by AI-generated resumes, where applicants may not understand the content of what they are submitting, and stressed the importance of teaching practical digital skills for professional use.
Tool Spotlight: Broadbandclusters.org
New member Hari Narayanan, a data scientist, introduced broadbandclusters.org, a tool designed to identify gaps in internet infrastructure and usage in cities. By integrating data from the FCC, ACS, and HUD, the tool reveals significant disparities in Kansas City. For example, while the city has 94% infrastructure availability, only 74% of households actually have internet access. The tool can identify specific ZIP codes with the lowest adoption rates, highlighting socioeconomic factors that influence access. Hari encouraged feedback on the tool and offered to support nonprofits seeking grants for devices.
Announcements
The meeting concluded with several important announcements:
- Ina P. Montgomery shared information about free online Cisco classes in cybersecurity and networking to help students enter the tech field. These are sponsored by the University of Central Missouri.
- Kenneth Yancy discussed plans for an upcoming seminar series on topics like effective grant writing and advanced AI utilization, including neural network applications.
- The Excel Center, an adult high school program, will open on October 20.
- Nick Pifer from World Mobile, a new internet provider, introduced himself and expressed a commitment to making a positive impact in Kansas City.
Want to get involved?
Visit digitalinclusionkc.org to learn more, sign up for updates, or watch past meetings.