Byte Back

Description: Byte Back provides computer literacy classes, courses in computer software and hardware, job readiness training and classes to prepare our students for eight industry recognized information technology (IT) certifications. We prepare our students for employment opportunities that are abundant and growing in our area. Our goal is to assist students in obtaining and developing careers that provide living wages with opportunities for advancement. We provide classes at nineteen satellite locations that are accessible by public transportation.



Thanks to our volunteer instructors and community partnerships, Byte Back is extremely cost effective. Our job training programs have a return on investment of 1082%, meaning that every $100 invested in training unemployed students seeking work results in a $1,082 increase in student earnings.



Technology is terrifying to many people. Byte Back provides classes at neighborhood locations where residents feel safe and welcome. Our curriculum is hands on and project-based, so that students learn by doing. We remove barriers by ensuring wheelchair access; offering classes in daytime, evening and on weekends; and providing assistive technology to students with disabilities. We customize the curriculum to the interests and learning styles of specific groups, such as youth, seniors and Spanish speakers. Our computer literacy classes are longer in duration than most to ensure that our students are fully comfortable with technology and eager to learn more. Byte Back staff and volunteers are friendly, supportive and encouraging.



In addition to helping students obtain employment, Byte Back assists in job creation by helping students to start their own neighborhood computer repair shops. We would like to share a story with you about one of our senior students. She came to us with no computer skills. After completing PC for Beginners for Senior Citizens and Office Track, she approached our staff with great excitement. She said that she loved the courses and had learned so much that she wanted to move forward and enroll in more advanced classes. The staff person began to tell her about the Microsoft Office certification program. She interrupted, saying that she was not interested in software; she wanted to learn how the computers work. She then took our A+ certification class and completed an 80 hour internship. Today, she has a small computer repair shop which she runs out of her home. We are thrilled to see this grandmother, who once had little confidence in her abilities, utilize Byte Back to thrive and fulfill a dream.

Direct beneficiaries per year: Well over 1,000

Someone who had 3 hours of volunteer time could: Assist in teaching a class, mentor or tutor a student, conduct a mock interview with a student.

Geographic areas served: Metropolitan Washington DC Area

Board Members and Affiliation: Jewel T. Scott, Chairman of the Board, Dean & Company

Mario Burney, Vice-Chairman of the Board/Fundraising Committee Chair, The Edge Advisory Group LLC

Keith Clark, Treasurer/Marketing Committee Chair, Intelsat

Ralph J Chittams Sr, Secretary, Fannie Mae

Dahlia Shaewitz, Governance Committee Chair, American Institutes for Research

Jerryl Guy, Finance Committee Chair, Whitman Walker Clinic

Linda Esah, Strategic Planning Committee Chair, Corporation for National and Community Service

Charles Colbert, Board Member, Department of Defense Inspector General

Carolyn Hyde, Board Member, Government Acquisitions, Inc

Jd Walter, Board Member, Eidolon Data LLC

Kelley Ellsworth, Executive Director, Byte Back