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Sun, The (Lowell, MA)

May 7, 2005
Section: Local

Teen center tackling computer repair
JACK MINCH , Sun Staff

LOWELL -- C.K. Mulenga moved to the United States from his native Zambia, Africa, for a better education. The 19-year-old graduated Lowell High School last year but student visa problems stopped him from attending Salem State College which had already accepted him.

So he was sitting at home, doing nothing, and waiting for the visa problems to get worked out when Sovanna Pouv from the United Teen Equality Center (UTEC) called him to take part in a new computer repair class.

“I was like, whew, that drew us in,” Mulenga said.

UTEC has already graduated three classes of eight people for the repair class, including Mulenga, which is certified by CompTIA A+.

The A+ computer repair program is a stepping stone to earning Cisco and Microsoft certifications, Pouv said.

“It basically certifies the person has the knowledge to work on a computer,” said Pouv, the pc business director and head of multimedia at UTEC.

Now UTEC wants to build on that program, said Executive Director Gregg Croteau.

“It's really brand new -- we're taking a computer repair class and merging it with an entrepreneur program we developed with the Lowell Small Business Assistance Center,” Croteau said.

UTEC plans to open a computer repair service using graduates of its repair classes. The new enterprise will target small businesses, other not-for-profits and low-income residents who need repairs below the market rate of $35 to $40 an hour.

The new business won't affect UTEC's not-for-profit status since all the company's revenues will go back into it to pay for programming, Croteau said.

Pouv and Mulenga worked with several other UTEC members completing an extensive business plan with oversight from the LSBAC. The plan was finished in February but UTEC is still gathering the equipment it needs to start its business and hopes to open shop within three months.

“We're creating a business but the business fits within our mission of youth development,” Croteau said.

Students from the computer repair class will establishing their resumes before moving to larger companies, he said.

“We want the young people to be players in the growth of the downtown community so we're helping them with the tools to do that.”