Google’s Manhattan office. Photo: Andrew Kelly/ Reuters
The need for digital skills is heightening, and tech giants like Google offer companies free access to courses aimed at improving their employees’ skills. Google has quite the established plan, offering $100,000 worth of online courses in technical skills like data analytics and design to any American business. The conglomerate will cover certificate costs for up to 500 workers per company.
While Google’s offer is aimed at increasing the number of individuals who complete their courses, the founder of the company that oversees the certificates, Lisa Gevelber of ‘Grow with Google,’ said course completion rates are higher when people pay out of pocket. However, she believes the offer is still worthwhile if it helps businesses gain more computer competency.
“It’s no secret that businesses of all sizes are struggling to acquire and retain talent,” says Gevelber. She went on to explain, “those who create growth opportunities for their employees have a much better shot at retaining them…No experience is required, and employees can earn an industry-recognised credential in three to six months of part-time study. For every scholarship we give, a business will be gaining capabilities and, at the same time, an employee will be growing new skills.”
Google acknowledges that their certificate completion rates are stronger when individuals complete them independently, but still believe their offer will benefit businesses’ digital competency. Photo: Google
This offer is an expansion of the Google Career Certificates program. Launched in 2018, the program, which operates through the online education platform Coursera, offers certificate courses to individuals around the world. According to Google, of the more than 205,000 people who have earned a Google certificate worldwide, 75 percent have received a benefit like a new job or increased pay within six months of completion.
Offering $100,000 in scholarships is not new territory for Google. They gave away scholarships in this same amount for individuals pursuing certificates in data analytics, project management, and user experience (UX) design. They aren’t the only company offering cloud-based training. Oracle offered free access to training and certificates for its Cloud Infrastructure last September, while AWS pledged to train 29 million people worldwide on how to use cloud computing.
The pandemic has increased humanity’s dependence on digital technology and thus driven up the need for laborers with relevant skills. Until the demand for digital skills is satiated, the value of these programs seems unlikely to waver.
IR INSIDER is New York University’s student-run international relations publication, powered by the IR Society.
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