Capitol News

Michigan residents seeking careers in high tech fields have new options, thanks to certificate programs recently announced by Google.  

This week, Google announced three new Google Career Certificates in Data Analytics, User Experience (UX) Design, and Project Management – all available for Michiganders to enroll.

The IT Support Professional Certificate is taught in five community colleges, including Howard County Community College, Grand Rapids Community College and Jackson College. These certificates will also be offered in career and technical education high schools across the country.  

The existing IT Support Professional (IT Cert) and Automation with Python Certificates have helped break barriers for underrepresented groups to enter the tech workforce; however, the new Google Career Certificates are intended to help individuals gain the necessary skills for to attract well-paying, high-demand employers without requiring a traditional college degree.   

The YWCA Associations in Madison and Milwaukee will receive $520,000 to create programs for thousands of women to participate in workforce and digital skills development. The funding will allow the YWCA to offer scholarships for the Google IT certification.

In Michigan, where Google has focused on AdWords and AdSense sales since 2006, grants to NPower in Detroit will help residents seeking job training to enroll in the IT Support Certificate program.   

“Google wants to ensure that technology helps all Americans emerge from this economic crisis — without limitation based on zip code, race, background or education level,” Lisa Gevelber, vice president of Grow with Google, said in a release. “We are excited to help equip Americans with the skills they need to succeed and get jobs through these new career certificates and scholarships.”

The new programs follow the success of the Google IT Cert, designed to prepare people for entry-level IT support jobs in less than six months. 

The leading online learning platform, Coursera, provides a pathway to jobs for those without college degrees, as well as underrepresented groups. Approximately 58% of participants identify as Black, Latino, female or veteran. And 80% of participants reported that the program helped them advance their job search or career within six months.

“Online learning can be one of the most effective and safest ways to help Americans learn career-relevant digital skills in the current environment,” Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera, said in a release. “We’re excited to support Google in expanding the impact and success of its IT Support Certificate program by launching an entire suite of Google career credentials, backed by a hiring consortium. Now many more Americans will have the opportunity to learn the skills required to enter jobs of the future.”

Google will also offer 100,000 need-based scholarships for those who enroll in any of the company’s career certificate programs. In addition, it will consider all of its career certificates as the equivalent of a four-year degree for related roles at Google.

The Google Career Certificates are being created and taught by Google employees and can be completed in three to six months. Anyone can now pre-register for the programs at grow.google/certificates. Notifications will be sent out by Google once the courses have launched.