Google will fund 100,000 career certification scholarships to help workers find jobs amid pandemic

Google plans to fund 100,000 need-based career certification scholarships to assist workers in finding jobs during the coronavirus pandemic, the company announced Monday.

Kent Walker, Google’s senior vice president of global affairs, said in a release that the tech giant’s new suite of Google Career Certificates includes the fields of data analytics, project management and user experience design. 

Participants do not need a college degree or prior experience for the program, and Google considers the certificate itself equivalent to a four-year degree.  

“College degrees are out of reach for many Americans, and you shouldn’t need a college diploma to have economic security,” Walker said in a statement. 

“We need new, accessible job-training solutions — from enhanced vocational programs to online education — to help America recover and rebuild,” he added.

The certificate programs take about six months to complete.

The new suites add to Google’s existing IT Certificate, which was launched in 2018.

Google is also committing to give $10 million in job training grants across the country, including to the YWCA, NPower and JFF, which help women, veterans and underrepresented people learn job skills.

Google’s announcement comes as the country has experienced an economic downturn amid the pandemic after several industries shut down during stay-at-home orders.