The truth about Native American Technology Training tribes is that wherever they were and no matter the time that passed, they were never in short supply of ideas, so they always found ways to bend what they had in their environment to better their lives. However, due to continuation in development of modern technologies the requirement to equip the Native American individuals with modern tools and most significantly knowledge that will enable them live and experience the twentieth century. The contemporary technology training programmes aimed at Native Americans are among the vital tools used in the consideration of these communities’ needs, attempts at the development of the Native American economies as well as the attempts at preservation of the Native American cultures in the context of the incorporation of the advanced technologies.
Technology training for Native American and Alaskan Natives plays an important role in their lives, struggles, and development efforts to close the digital gap, this article will therefore focus on the following areas, the importance of Technology training for the Native Americans, problems faced By the Native Americans, efforts being made by various organizations to address the problem, and some of the general impacts of the programs in the lives of the people.
More on the Historical context of Native American Innovation
Many tribes of Native Americans have proved resourcefulness for centuries molding tools, weapons and even buildings from stones, woods and even bones. These innovations assisted various tribes live in different geographical conditions including the deserts, forest and even the northern colder climate region. Mainstream conceptualizations and practices being well documented for several millennia centered on technology, which was critical to the sustainability of generations of forums, and indeed aboriginal societies; these included superior agriculture, seafaring or tools.
Nevertheless, the industrialization and a technological revolution of the twentieth century led to the isolation of Native American tribes from the overall population. A lot of the rural and isolated reservations have poor access to modern technology such as high speed internet, sophisticated computers and modern education which has resulted in disparities in economic and education facilities.
Bridging the Gap
The digital divide therefore describes the difference between citizens who are connected by technology, and those who are not. Whereas for native Americans the digital divide has posed the following challenges. A survey by the Federal Communications Commission FCC in 2019 revealed that more than 30% of those living on tribal land have no access to broadband. And this lack of access has dire consequences for the education, employment or health care and overall economic growth of the nation.
In the past few years, federal non-profit organizations and private entities have emerged with the aim of filling these voids; with the main goal being to introduce ICTs to Native American people. The stated goal of these two programs is to promote cultural maintenance along with teaching people necessary skills to survive in the contemporary world.
1 Native American Technology Training Programs
Tribal Colleges and Universities
Among the most visible attempts to redress the technological demands of Native Americans is through the Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). These institutions provide several courses that combine conventional practices with the advanced education systems. Accepting students that often come from disadvantaged backgrounds, TCUs offer students generic technology and vocational skills education, whether computing, media and communication, or Native American culture and history, if the college is affiliated to such a community.
However, to broaden their scope, many TCUs also have continuing education and workforce development. янӄӮӾ These programs are critical to the goal of readying Native Americans for employment in key growth areas of the economy including IT, engineering, and cyber security.
Politics and Measures Related to Internet Connection and Digital Competency
While several programmes have aimed at offering broadband internet to Native American reservations. For instance, the ConnectHomeUSA program which was started by the U.S department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that joins with tribal bodies for providing high speed internet service to homes in the reservations. The goal of this campaign is to increase education and health sectors and, thus, develop the economy in general.
In addition to connecting those Native Americans with the infrastructure, technology literacy programs are needed to educate the involved people how to best use the available technologies. These programs mainly consist of introductory computer literacy programs as well as teaching the students to become safe internet users all through to advanced levels of programming, website designing, and even marketing. About the same, many programs also focus on how to keep information in Native languages, culture, and customs through technology.
Native American technology internships and job training
Young Native Americans in the workforce are shifting from shorter term internships and technology-related training assignments to acquire practical experience useful for a transition from education to work. Such programs enable participants to have dealings with companies in the technology segment, giving them proper orientation of current tools and approaches.
There is the Native American Technology Fellowship where students are awarded fellowships depending on the amount of funding received. This fellowship provides paid internships to Native American learners and workers within the areas of computing technology, information science, and engineering. This means that by putting people into industrious settings, these programs prepare them for careers that may last a lifetime.
Technology And Economic Development
Technology training is not just about making an individual productive; it is also about changing people’s lives, communities included. The economic conditions of Native American groups have always been precarious: the present level of unemployment among indigenous people remains critically high, and the availability of financial capital to Native American clients and business entities has been persistently low. These communities can therefore get to new markets, form new businesses and gain investment through the use of technology.
For instance, some tribes have been able to use technology in the diversification of their economy. People from tribes whose economies were based on farming, or extraction of natural resources are hence seeking to learn about technologically enhanced businesses like e-business, application developers, and wind turbines. In this way, the technology programs can help bless the individuals from the tribal areas by training them in above mentioned fields and can help give a boost to the start-up level business in their respective communities.
However technology can assist in the retaining of the Native Americans customs and the rejuvenating of their heritage. These technologies including social networks have emerged as crucial means, where Native arts, customs and languages can be spread across the world. They have also adopted technology for recording histories and creating technology-based records that younger generations must inherit.
Technology training in the Native American communities: Barriers and hindrances
As this paper aims to demonstrate, there are rewards to technological training for Native Americans, but the obstacles should not be underestimated. One of the major challenges is lack of structures to support the process. Despite initiatives to extend broadband, many rural reserved connections have a slow or irregular data connection, hindering online learning or remote working.
The last one relates to the different levels of digital literacy: it is still a problem in many organizations. Older Native American adults may not be fluent with modern technologies, an aspect that makes it hard for them to participate in digital training. To fill this knowledge gap, more focused approaches are needed; such as providing in class classes, and offering to show people how to learn.
Moreover, one can name the problems connected with cultural and language differences. In order for technology training programs to be successful the programs need to be sensitive to Native American cultures and languages. Thus, including culture into the curriculum and offering training for language retention among the aboriginal students may contribute to the increase of learners’ attention.
Conclusion
Government and tribal funded training of Native American Technology Training is a key to making sure that indigenous people can competently embrace modern technological advancement. These programs are overcoming the digital divide, giving individuals new skills, and spurring economic activity within society. Native American technology training takes advantage of modern technology while at the same time incorporating history in practice, culture and sustainable use in the modern world.
However, some threats are still apparent; poor infrastructure, lack of properly developed skills in using and analyzing digital data, and cultural differences. These barriers must continue to be overcome through cooperation between the different government departments and private sector as well as Native American tourism-related organizations and tribes. Given sustained funding, the technology training programs have the potential to be powerful tools for building the futures of Native American peoples in the twenty-first century.