BY JESSICA PARKS
While Brooklyn boasts
the second-highest number
of training programs
for aspiring technology professionals
in the city, the
courses are unevenly distributed
throughout the borough
— with an embarrassment of
riches in the bougie northern
Brooklyn nabes, and a defi -
ciency of courses for southern
Brooklynites, according
to a new report.
Center for an Urban Future
and Tech:NYC issued
their fi rst-ever report on technology
training programs for
both K-12 students and adults
around the city and found a
striking disparity between
geographic regions of New
York — which they claim
further exacerbates the lack
of diversity in the local tech
workforce.
For K-12 programs, Brooklyn
is home to 122 tech programs,
yet 28 — or 23-percent
— of those are concentrated
in the northern Brooklyn
neighborhoods of Park Slope,
Red Hook, and Carroll Gardens.
Meanwhile, six of Brooklyn’s
Get rewarded when you check with us.
To qualify you must open a Flushing Bank Complete Checking account1 which provides you with
access to over 55,000 ATMs, ATM fee rebates, mobile banking, and mobile check deposit. Plus, you
can qualify for additional cash bonuses2,3 up to $700 with our Customer Value Program.
Small enough to know you.
Large enough to help you.®
COURIER L 14 IFE, FEBRUARY 21-27, 2020
18 Census-defi ned
neighborhoods have two or
less sites that offer tech programs
for school-aged children.
The neighborhoods of Bensonhurst,
Bath Beach, Sheepshead
Bay, and Gerritsen
Beach collectively lack even a
single program, while only one
course can be found in East
Flatbush and in Dyker Heights
and Bay Ridge. Residents of
central Brooklyn’s Prospect
Heights and ‘Crown Heights
North’ feature two locations,
as do Canarsie and Flatlands,
according to the report.
The lack of geographic
diversity is even more pronounced
for adult tech training
programs, as Brooklyn
offers 107 courses, with 43 —
Mariah Ahmed, Aldiana Feratovic and Valtina Teplani use the button-making machine at the Kings Highway
Library’s new Teen Tech Center. Photo by Stefano Giovannini
or 40-percent — based in the
neighborhoods of Fort Greene
and Brooklyn Heights. The
rapidly gentrifying neighborhood
of Bedford-Stuyvesant
is home to another 12 sites for
adults.
Four Census-defi ned
neighborhoods — all of which
are in southern Brooklyn —
have just one adult program
location. That disparity
leaves wanna-be technologists
in Brownsville, Bensonhurst,
Bath Beach, East Flatbush,
Bay Ridge, and Dyker
Heights out of luck.
Despite the shortcomings
of the borough’s tech offerings,
the report found that the
city is moving in the right direction
overall when it comes
to technical skill-building —
yet city educational honchos
still have much work to do
in improving and expanding
technological training to
communities in less-affl uent
places like southern Brooklyn.
Digital divide
Southern Brooklyn lacking in
tech-training programs: Report
For more information and to open a new Complete Checking account, speak with your Flushing Bank representative,
call 800.581.2889 (855.540.2274 TTY/TDD) or go to www.FlushingBank.com.
1) Certain fees, minimum balance requirements, and restrictions may apply. Fees may reduce earnings on these accounts. Must be a new Complete Checking customer to qualify for the
Customer Value Program (CVP) Balance Bonus or Customer Value Program (CVP) Activation Bonus. New money only. Existing checking account customers are not eligible. A new checking
account is defined as any new checking account that does not have any authorized signatures in common with any other existing Flushing Bank checking account(s). An existing checking
customer is defined as anyone who currently has or has had a Flushing Bank checking account within the last 24 months. New money is defined as money not currently on deposit with
Flushing Bank. 2) The CVP Balance Bonus is limited to one (1) account credit per new Complete Checking customer. The CVP Balance Bonus will be based on the three-month average
account balance of the first three (3) calendar months after account opening. The CVP Balance Bonus will be posted to the account on or about the end of the subsequent month following
the account’s three (3) month anniversary. A 1099 will be issued in the amount of the account bonus. The new Complete Checking account must remain open, active, and in good standing
for six months. The bonus will be forfeited if the account is closed prior to six months. Other fees and restrictions may apply. The minimum three-month average balance to qualify for the
CVP Balance Bonus is $1,000. A minimum deposit of $25 is required to open the Complete Checking account. The offer is subject to change or termination without prior notice at any time.
Speak with a branch representative for details. 3) The CVP Activation Bonus is limited to one (1) account credit per new Complete Checking customer. The CVP Activation Bonus is based on
performing 5 POS purchases and/or 5 Bill Pays from Flushing Bank’s online banking portal within 60 days of account opening and/or receiving two direct deposits within 90 days of account
opening. The CVP Activation Bonus will be credited at the end of the month following completion of the qualifying transactions and there is no minimum balance required to receive the
CVP Activation Bonus. A 1099 will be issued in the amount of the account bonus. The new Complete Checking account must remain open, active, and in good standing for six
months. Other fees and restrictions may apply. A minimum deposit of $25 is required to open the Complete Checking account. The offer is subject to change or termination
without prior notice at any time. Speak with a branch representative for details. Flushing Bank is a registered trademark
FB 1043 - WINTER Dual Rate Ad - Villager 8.75 x 5.6875.indd 1 2/3/20 9:52 AM
/www.FlushingBank.com
/www.FlushingBank.com