Thanks to a Lift Zone, new immigrants will be able to attend virtual job interviews and telehealth appointments at the International Institute of Minnesota (1694 Como Ave.).
Part of Comcast’s Project UP, the new space includes two Lift Zone privacy pods. There’s free broadband access onsite for institute students and clients. Plus, Comcast provided 250 new laptops for newly arrived refugees that will support students.
“We’re here to talk about digital equity,” observed International Institute of Minnesota (IIMN) Executive Director Jane Graupman during a ribbon-cutting on Sept. 21, 2023.
More on what they do and have done…
IIMN offers a variety of training programs, including several in the health field. Through those, 3,000 people have been employed, and, of that, 700 are two- and four-year registered nurses. “New Americans have really changed the landscape in St. Paul and our state because of the important services they provide,” said Graupman.
Last year, IIMN opened a renovated, expanded building that included six new classrooms and hands-on job training labs. While they were operating classes remotely, Comcast provided IIMN with funding and donated laptops.
This year, Comcast reinvested in the IIMN refugee services programs providing funding to support sign up assistance for the Affordable Connectivity Program and Internet Essentials to every refugee household IIMN resettled, providing their families with free high-speed broadband in their homes. Over 300 newly arrived refugees benefited from this support this year.