Many job seekers may feel that they are not eligible for high-paying, in-demand careers without a college degree or a resume full of experience.
The folks at Google tell the Rebound Arizona, that is not the case.
They have expanded their Google Career Certificate program to help fill roughly 1.3 million open technology jobs that often have a starting salary between $60,000 to $70,000 for entry-level positions.
"You have 130 employers who have signed up to hire graduates of the Google Career Certificate," explained Grow with Google Vice President Lisa Gevelber. "So they weighed in... they all looked at the Google Career Certificates and have decided that we're teaching exactly the skills they need for the people that they want to hire."
She said after the company launched the program back in 2018, they have seen thousands of graduates find success.
"Eighty-two percent of those folks got a new job or a promotion or a raise within six months of completing the program," Gevelber explained. "So we know it works and that's one of the reasons we've been able to invest again to create these additional career fields."
With the pandemic, they have now expanded the original program to include more passions and opportunities among job seekers.
"So, our certificates are in four key job fields: in project management, data analytics, IT support... those are the folks that set-up your computers and make sure they work and fix them when they don't," Gevelber explained. "And user experience design, which is a really creative field. It's the design of how we interact with websites or apps on our phone."
While getting people back to work and filling the needs of the technology industry is important, Gevelber said offering equal opportunities for all Americans is the main goal.
"It's really important to me to know that we are making a more equitable and inclusive job market where everyone really can live up to their potential," Gevelber explained.
The cost to access the content costs about $39 per month. Google does offer some financial assistance tools and has given out $100,000 in scholarships so far.
To learn more about the program, click here.
To learn more about financial assistance, you can do so through Coursera. Google said on the FAQ page of their website, "Recipients of financial aid will have full access to course content and assignments required to earn a certificate.
To apply, go to the certificate course page on Coursera and click the “Financial aid available” link next to the “Enroll” button." Find Coursera by clicking here.
There are also resources for our nation's heroes who are on the job hunt. Click here for that information.
