While this element is the easiest to overlook, it is one of the most important because it informs policy, practice and the flow of resources. Staff, office space and other program requirements will drive these minimum costs up. The five elements noted here should be built into the cost of any program that seeks to leverage the benefits of information technologies. In July of this year, the Department of Commerce released its third annual report on the proliferation of information tools, such as personal computers and the Internet. The implications of an uneven distribution of information technology resources are many.
Key areas impacted by the digital divide include jobs, education, and opportunity.
Further, most libraries do not have the available staff, space or instructor know-how to teach marketable IT skills. Accordingly, businesses in these communities pay a premium for services and are not able to compete with entrepreneurs in saturated infrastructure areas in the Central Business District and emerging fringe development areas. The National Urban League plans to work with industry and government to build 114 Digital Campus technology education and access centers by the year 2006. We believe that this substantial investment in low-income communities is necessary as part of the emerging technical training infrastructure of America. At full operation, we expect our Technology training centers to produce 68,400 new entry-level IT workers per year.