By JACK MINCH , Sun Staff
  Lowell Sun

  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."