http://willow.com/ (World Wide Web Directory, ~04/1995)

Opportunities in The Interactive Age

With the arrival of the new Information Super Highways and 500+ channels of interactive Television the opportunity for new jobs in interactive information production will increase dramatically. To help fill this need Willow Opportunity Center(Willow) in conjunction with Shebute inc. will provide training in all forms of interactive communication production including Hypertext Documentation, Animation, Computer Graphics, Network Management and Data Base development.

Inner-City Education and Economic Development

All of the projects developed by the team in the On The Job training program will serve education, job creation and business development in the inner city. The intent is to help these communities develop their own unique solutions by using the new information highways to improve education and the competivness of local businesses. The Center will work with with groups like The Regional Alliance for Small Contractors to provide additional on-line support.

On The Job Training for Careers in Communications

The approach to trainning will be to have the students involved in projects that will provide useful and valuable information over the Information Super Highways. Training is accomplished through a Three Phase Project based system. Teams are formed containing members from each of the three levels; Apprentice, Partnership, and Entrepreneur. The teams are assigned the task of developing new information for one of the many types of projects designed to deliver information over the computer network. They will take part in all steps from conception though delivery. In the process they will learn how the different skills and technologies interrelate and how to use and find information on the network. They will also learn how to develop their own information business.

Computer Tracking

All training is built around a Computer tracking system that records the trainee's progress and keep them in contact with the staff. One benefit of this unique computer based trainning approach is the ability to fully track the progress of every trainee no matter were they are, in the building or on-line at home. The system can also offer on-line assistance and interaction with any staff member ant place in the building on the network.
Everything created by the student will be stored, even if it is not used by the team project. This allows the the trainee to look back and evaluate their own progress and this helps the staff make suggestions for improvement.

Working With Government Programs.

In addition to it's own On The Job Training programs, Willow will develope programs to support other government funded education job training programs. This will include developing relationships and programs with government support to help streamline costs by transforming government documents into digital form for easy access by the public. This program will include on-line information reguarding government regulations and support for small business with multi-lingual translations and referral help. This massive undertaking is designed to reduce the cost of government, make government resources more accessible, and provide jobs and career training all in one simple program.

Fee Based Information Services.

In addition to government funded training programs and projects to support local communities and government, the Willow On The Job Training program will also produce income by developing and maintaining fee-based services.

Services to Corporations

Willow will develop a number of fee-based services to assist the buisness community. This includes:
Help Find Government Information
Small Business Guidance and Support
Help Identify and Develop Markets
Help Advertise and Promote Products
Offer Training for Company Personnel
Convert Internal Information to Digital Form.
Establish The Company on the Network

These services will range in price depending on the service provided and are custom designed to help businesses cut cost and improve profitability.

Entertainment Services

Some of the projects will develop information for entertainment. This includes:

Video and Network Based Interactive Games
Computer Animation for Interactive Television
Visual Art for Advertisement and Promotions
The fee for this service or information will vary with the application and quality.

The Willow Opportunity Center is located in an INDUSTRIAL INCUBATOR that is part of the PORT MORRIS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ZONE.

For more information, please contact - 718-665-0155:
Ronald J. Logsdon
Brian Lea