Coursera Partners with Grow with Google to Bridge the Digital Skills Gap
Grow with Google is a new initiative that is aimed at helping Americans with the skills they need to get a job or grow their business. Currently, it is estimated that there are more than half a million IT support positions open in the U.S. Even then, the demand is yet to grow as digital skills gap widens by 12 percent between 2014 and 2024.
According to a blog on Coursera by its CEO Jeff Maggioncalda, many of these open roles don’t require a college degree, but they do require experience. So it’s not uncommon for would-be IT professionals to find themselves caught in a catch-22 – they can’t get a job without experience and they can’t get experience without a job.
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In order to change that, Coursera has collaborated with Grow with Google in an effort to advance economic opportunity across the U.S. Speaking about the initiative, Jeff in his blog said
“We’ve worked with Google to create the Google IT Support Professional Certificate offered exclusively through Coursera to our global community of learners. The certificate will be the first IT credential of its kind and will give aspiring IT professionals hands-on labs experience created by Googlers. Learners will also get the opportunity to share their information with a host of employers like Google, Bank of America, L’Oréal, PNC Bank, and others that are hiring entry-level support professionals.”
The curriculum for the industry relevant course is designed to take beginner learners to entry-level job readiness in 8-12 months. Unlike other courses aimed at more advanced technical learners, the Google Certificate on Coursera does not require any prerequisites.
Coursera is also working with Google’s philanthropy, i.e. Google.org, to back nonprofits such as Goodwill, Partner4Work, Per Scholas, Student Veterans of America, Upwardly Global, and YearUp – that are bringing the certificate to underserved groups. Google.org has already pledged more than 2,600 scholarships to these nonprofits to ensure broad access to this valuable learning credential.
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The Google IT Support Professional Certificate will become available in January. To learn more and sign up for updates click here.
However, this is not the first time where Coursera has aimed to empower the youth with various job opportunities. Earlier this year, Coursera had partnered with the PM Youth Program in Pakistan Through this program they are to provide learning programs and certificates at subsidized rates. These programs will not only help in developing skills but also be beneficial for job seekers.
