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In March, Google launched three career certificates in project management, UX design, and data analytics. These certificates are part of Grow with Google, the company’s initiative to help professionals grow their skills, careers, and businesses by providing free trainings and tools.
A Grow with Google spokesperson told Insider that 82% of program graduates reported a positive career effect within six months of completion, such as a raise, promotion, or new job. No degree or experience is required to enroll, and with about 150 hours of work (or 10 hours a week), students can complete the programs in about six months.
A study from the Project Management Institute (PMI) — a company that Google tapped to help build the curriculum — found a massive need for skilled project-management professionals across industries.
PMI’s findings showed the global economy would need 25 million new project-management professionals by 2030 — and 2.3 million people would need to enter related roles every year to keep up with demand.
Project-management-related jobs are not only in demand but also often lucrative. A 2020 PMI “Earning Power” study pegged the median salary for a project manager in the US at $116,000 (across diverse industries), with some earning upward of $140,000.
PMI research also found those with the Project Management Professional certification reported higher median salaries than those without it.
A Grow with Google spokesperson said Google consulted a number of organizations like Asana and Scrum.org to build its examples and content.
During the coursework, students complete hands-on activities like putting together a project charter, a project plan, stakeholder analysis, and communication strategies for a fictional company. These activities end with a corresponding quiz to check knowledge before the work is compared with an exemplar.
The final course is a capstone project in which students follow a project manager from a project’s kickoff to retrospective, during which they create a portfolio of documentation and practice communicating with stakeholders.
Google worked with PMI to ensure Google was a PMI Authorized Training Partner so that upon completion of the certificate program, graduates earned 100 hours of project-management education that they could use to pursue globally recognized PMI credentials, like Certified Associate in Project Management, at a discounted price.
After finishing the certificate, graduates can take advantage of 12 months of free access to Big Interview, which allows job seekers to record themselves responding to mock-interview questions and receive feedback on their responses, as well as prepare their résumé using the system’s tools.
They can also share their résumé with an employer consortium of over 150 companies — including Google — that consider graduates for related roles.
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