At its Aug. 16 meeting, Wilmington City Council unanimously voted to award $2.5 million of American Rescue Plan Act funding to launch DigitalBridge Wilmington, a partnership working with employers to create a modern digital upskilling, re-skilling, and job pairing program. The $2.5 million will provide initial funding for two years, at which point it is expected to be self-sustaining.
The program will provide training, access, and connection to in-demand jobs for Wilmington residents seeking a transition to higher paying digital careers and the digital economy. It will focus on specific high opportunity, high need census tracts in Wilmington, 16 of which have already been identified, with the priority of filling local job opportunities.
According to the Cape Fear Talent Survey, up to 17,500 new jobs are estimated to be added to the local economy between 2020 and 2023, many of which will require digital skills. DigitalBridge Wilmington will meet residents and employers where they are and enable all segments of the population to take advantage of the digitization of the local economy.
The official launch of DigitalBridge Wilmington is planned for early 2023. Participants will take a digital skills assessment, meet one on one with a Digital Coach, develop individualized skills trainings, earn certifications, build resumes, and begin their careers.
Cape Fear Collective, StepUp Wilmington, and Wireless Research Center of North Carolina (WRC) makeup the core partnership of DigitalBridge Wilmington. Cape Fear Collective will oversee the Talent Pipeline Management, evaluation of services, and inform curriculum and program development. StepUp Wilmington, which will lean into its extensive local employer relationships and existing outreach channels, will house the program. WRC will oversee the program, service delivery, and budgeting.
This additional community investment with ARPA funding follows a $3.5 million investment in affordable housing, $2 million investment in small businesses, $700,000 investment in local nonprofits providing critical services and arts-based programming, $400,000 in workforce training, $200,000 to combat food insecurity among others and is part of a larger effort to put $9 million of ARPA funding into economic and community assistance.
All ARPA allocations are given in accordance with U.S. Treasury ARP guidance and NC General Statute authorization. The City of Wilmington received approximately $26 million from the American Rescue Plan Act, signed into law March 11, 2021, disbursed to the city through two installments of approximately $13 million over two years. The funds must be obligated by Dec. 31, 2024.
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