Tech giant Google LLC is embarking on a new partnership with the University of Texas and the Texas State University system, offering its career certificates program to undergraduate students in the Lone Star State.
The move comes at a time when tech CEOs are worried the industry won’t have the talent required in the coming years. It’s the technology giant’s largest statewide university partnerships to date.
With a growing presence in Austin, the participating institutions will embed Google’s certificate programs into undergraduate degree programs and co-curricular opportunities, giving students the opportunity to receive university credit.
“Google is proud to work with Texas universities and workforce development organizations to help more students and workers take advantage of the incredible job opportunities created by the state’s growing economy,” stated Lisa Gevelber, the founder of Grow with Google, the company’s $1 billion initiative to “create economic opportunity for all.”
Available through the online course provider Coursera, the certificates can be completed within three to six months of part-time study, with no degree or experience required. The program includes an employer consortium of more than 150 companies including Texas-based AT&T, Dell and Google.
The programs to be offered relate to: data analytics, e-commerce and digital marketing, IT support, automation in python, project management, and user experience and design.
Google first collaborated with the online education platform Coursera on a new IT professionals certificate aimed at filling the talent shortage for the tech specialty in 2018.
As part of the partnership, Texas 2036, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering productive growth, will also list the Google Career Certificates in a national registry as part of its work to grow the state’s database on postsecondary credentials.
The organization forecasts that by 2030, more than 60% of jobs in the state will require a postsecondary credential. The Google Career Certificates program provides another option to ensure the state continues to educate its workforce.
Comprised of 13 institutions and an enrollment of 244,000 students and an operating budget of $25.2 billion for the fiscal year 2023,, the UT System is one of the largest public university systems in the United States. The Texas State University System has seven institutions serving more than 87,000 students from far West Texas to the Gulf Coast.
“Texas employers tell us they need graduates with marketable skills who can hit the ground running when they leave college,” stated Texas State University System Chancellor Brian McCall. “Our seven-member institutions do a great job of developing these skills as part of their current degree programs, and we are proud to partner with Google to offer Career Certificates that evidence the skills and talents that our students develop throughout their college careers.”
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