Oct 29, 2021 - Technology

Google expands skills certificate training

Ina Fried

Google headquarters during the virtual Google Pixel Fall Launch event in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. — Google's office in New York. Photo: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A few years ago, Google started offering a non-college certificate program to help teach basic IT skills to future workers. Now, the tech giant is working to make sure more people — including community college students — have access to the curriculum.

Why it matters: The labor market has a big skills mismatch, with companies saying they can't find enough qualified applicants, while plenty of job seekers struggle to find meaningful and lucrative work.

Details: As part of the expansion, Google will make the certificate program free for community colleges and vocational high schools across the nation.

Connecticut will be the first state to offer Google Career Certificates across its state colleges and universities system.
Google is also working with the American Council on Education to allow those who have achieved a certificate to also get college credit for the work.

What they're saying: Alphabet chief financial officer Ruth Porat says the program's expansion beyond Google has been critical to its impact.

"It can't be about one company," Porat said in an interview. She notes that there are now 150 companies that are accepting the certificate as qualification for various jobs, including Walmart and Verizon, as well as Google itself.

By the numbers: So far, more than 50,000 people have graduated from the program in the U.S., with 150 companies now accepting the certificates for certain jobs.

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Google expands skills certificate training

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