Best Buy Corp. extends commitment to teen tech training

More of the nation’s underserved teens will have access to free technology tools and training thanks to Best Buy.



The chain plans to add nine new Best Buy Teen Tech Centers to its year-round support network in 2017. The announcement was made Tuesday, at the opening of Best Buy’s newest Teen Tech Center, in Denver, Colorado.



The expanded network of 20 Teen Tech Centers will provide tech education to thousands of students, with special priority for new centers to be located in urban cities such as Las Vegas and Pittsburgh. Plans are already underway to open centers in early 2017 in Atlanta and San Diego.



Best Buy noted that In the coming decade, 77% of all jobs will require technology skills. Yet wide disparities still exist among youth from lower-income families who lack tools like computers and Internet connections, or know how to use them, creating an opportunity gap for urban teens.



“These community centers will provide underserved young people with the technology tools and education that enable them to pursue new career paths for a tech-reliant future,” said Laura Bishop, VP of public affairs and sustainability at Best Buy. “With help from our community partners, we can inspire teens to become innovators and creators, and forever change the course of their lives for the better.”



Teen Tech Centers, which launched in 2012, help students learn basic computer skills and explore interests through classes that are neither taught nor required in many traditional school settings. Classes range from programming to coding, application development, digital photography, music and graphic design.