Wilmington City Council discusses initiative that would help residents develop digital skills

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) – Following an agenda briefing on Monday morning, the Wilmington City Council discussed a new initiative that will be funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, and will connect residents with jobs.

The initiative is called the Wilmington Digital Bridge. It’s expected to create digital skills and job pairing for residents. More than $2 million dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act will fund the program for two years.

Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo said this would be implemented through a partnership with organizations such as “Step Up Wilmington”, to help with skills training for area jobs.

“Our unemployment rate right now is about 3.6%. So, these companies are looking for workers that are skilled in technology type fields. So, this will give us the opportunity to find what those jobs look like, what is it going to take to train those individuals in those job skills, and get them employed with the different companies that reside here in our community and our region,“ said Bill Saffo, Wilmington mayor.

Mayor Saffo also said if the money for the Wilmington Digital Bridge is approved during the city council meeting on August 16, he hopes the initiative will launch soon after.