Dive Brief:

• Google will add data analyst, project manager and user experience designer programs to its Google Career Certificates, according to an announcement shared with HR Dive July 13. The company will also award $10 million in job grants to the nonprofits YWCA, NPower and JFF, "to help workforce boards and nonprofits improve their job training programs and increase access to digital skills for women, veterans, and underserved Americans," it said a press release.
• The certificates are created and taught by Google workers and will be hosted on Coursera. They require no degree for enrollment and can be completed in three to six months. The company will fund 100,000 need-based scholarships and will consider the certificates "as the equivalent of a four-year degree for related roles at Google."
• Google will "create a hiring consortium for the new certificates" and offer internal apprenticeship opportunities. Students at career and technical education high schools will have access to the programming this fall, beginning with an existing certificate focused on information technology.

Dive Insight:

Learning and development (L&D) has garnered serious attention from employers in recent years. It has captured employers in the tech sector or those with technical needs in particular, as L&D serves as a gateway to not only well equipped talent, but also to a more diverse workforce, something the tech world has largely struggled to obtain.

Google's forthcoming offerings appear to address both facets of the tech L&D trend. "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," Grow with Google Vice President Lisa Gevelber said in the press 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."

These initiatives come not long after the company launched in-house efforts addressing diversity- and inclusion-related issues. In April 2019, Google's Chief Diversity Officer Melonie Parker announced an internal website for employee complaints, following allegations that the company retaliated against workers who attempted to organize and spoke out against the company's alleged mishandling of sexual harassment claims and workplace policies around equity and transparency.

Later that summer, the company issued "community guidelines" for employees discussing non-work-related topics, aiming to curb divisive political debates. And, this June, it announced plans to create "a range of anti-racism educational programs" for employees as part of a set of initiatives aimed at building racial equity and inclusion.