Google has announced three new online certificate programs in data analytics, project management and user experience design.
The certificates, which are created and taught by Google employees, do not require a college degree, can be completed in three to six months and are offered through the online learning platform Coursera. The tech giant says it will consider all of its certificates as the equivalent of a four-year college degree for related roles at the company.
According to Google Vice President, Lisa Gevelber, “This is not revenue-generating for Google. There’s a small cost from the Coursera platform itself — the current pricing is $49 a month — but we want to ensure that anyone who wants to have this opportunity, can have it.”
Google has committed to funding 100,000 need-based scholarships for individuals enrolled in any of these career certificate programs and will be awarding over $10 million in grants to YWCA, NPower and JFF — three nonprofits that partner with Google to provide workforce development to women, veterans and underrepresented Americans.
These specific fields of data analytics, project management and user experience were chosen by Google because they can lead to “high-growth, high-paying careers,” says Gevelber.
