Free media training program for vets starting in Connecticut

The Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network plans to launch a free digitial media training program for veterans at its Hartford headquarters in the fall, and officials hope that the effort serves as a model that can be expanded nationwide, officials said.

The new Veterans Vocational Training Program will include two tracks: one focused on video production and editing, the other on graphics design, including the Adobe programs Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. Students can take either track, or both, according to Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network information.

One set of classes is scheduled to start in late August and continue through December, during the evenings, Monday through Thursday. Another round of classes will run from January to May.

The program is not limited to vets who live in, or plan to stay in, Connecticut, and officials will provide travel stipends as needed, said Donna Sodipo, the network’s director of education services.

Network President Jerry Franklin said he’d like to see the program grow to 10 or 12 sites around the country, and officials from Chicago, San Diego and Atlanta have expressed interest.

ESPN Inc., whose headquarters are in nearby Bristol, and its parent, the Walt Disney Company, helped advise the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network in developing the program.

For more information on the Veterans Vocational Training Program, visit www.cpbn.org/veterans.

For more information on veterans initiatives at Disney and ESPN, visit heroesworkhere.disney.com.