N.C. awards grants for IT curriculum

Thirty-six schools in the poorest areas of North Carolina have been awarded

$13,000 each to begin training students in information technology.

The School Networking Grants, administered by the Department of Commerce

and announced in April, are one-time matching grants to fund start costs.

The grant money was evenly divided among the schools that applied and met

the criteria, such as being in low-income counties. The winning schools

are scattered throughout 25 North Carolina counties.

"The state realizes that the jobs in this market are growing fast, and

the [person] with the most education and training has the advantage for

these high-paying, high tech jobs," said Melinda Pierson, spokesperson for

the department.

Each school can choose its own networking program or information technology

curriculum and is responsible for providing ongoing funding. Most schools

will use the money to buy the curriculum, hardware and other infrastructure

costs, Pierson said.