Google has re-opened enrollment for its flagship training and certification programme while also expanding its employer consortium as part of wider efforts to boost digital skills.
Career Certificates, which first launched in August 2020, is welcoming new applicants to study online courses in IT support, data analytics, project management, and UX design, alongside Android development, the programme’s newest addition.
Google’s scheme offers an alternative pathway to conventional education for budding tech workers to kickstart their careers, with graduates also able to directly liaise with more than a hundred companies that are a part of an employer consortium.
More than 130 businesses, including Verizon, Deloitte, and SAP, among other big names, are part of this platform in which graduates are matched with employers. An expansion in the number of businesses comprising the consortium also comes alongside news of a new partnership with Guild Education, which works with the biggest US companies to upskill their workers.
These efforts are part of the wider Grow with Google initiative which was launched in 2017 to boost digital skills across the US economy. The latest measures explicitly aim to support the nation’s economy recover following COVID-19.
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The company has also announced 100,000 scholarships to be distributed globally through not-for-profit organisations, workforce development boards and other community organisations.
Although these programmes are designed to help improve digital skills within the US, anybody from around the world can register with Coursera to access the qualifications. The certifications also require no prior background knowledge.
The IT support, data analytics, project management, and UX design programmes cost $39 per month, with access to the Android development training materials free of charge barring the $149 examination fee.
The Android development programme teaches the basics of programming for the Android mobile OS in the Kotlin language, with the first three units currently available and more to follow in the near future.
Attaining a Career Certifications qualification will grant students access to the exclusive jobs platform that lists entry-level positions at businesses registered with Google’s employer consortium. This is in addition to CV-building tools, mock interviews, and career networking support designed to assist with the job-hunting process.
