Yesterday, Grow with Google announced that it will bring the IT Support Professional Certificate to over 25 community colleges, including LaGuardia Community College, part of The City University of New York (CUNY).
“As one of the first community colleges nationwide selected as a training site for Google’s IT Support Professional Certificate, we’re pleased to provide this new avenue to a rewarding career for New Yorkers with a personal interest in technology,” said LaGuardia Community College President Gail O. Mellow. “Through our robust tech education program, which trains 3,500 students each year in numerous tech-related programs, LaGuardia is training tomorrow’s workforce for NYC’s flourishing tech ecosystem.”
Google.org is funding JFF, the workforce development nonprofit, to provide support for learners in seven states (CA, IL, MI, NY, OH, TX, and WI). In addition, 14 more companies signed on to consider those who complete the program for their IT support jobs. The program will be available in the 2018-2019 school year.
“Google is committed to training the workforce of today and tomorrow, and we are thrilled to team up with community colleges to help graduates jump start a new career in IT Support,” said Jesse Haines, director of Grow with Google. “Community colleges play an important role in helping Americans get ahead, and they will be strong partners in Grow with Google’s mission to create more economic opportunities for Americans.”
Launched in January on the Coursera learning platform, Google’s IT Support Professional Certificate aims to train learners with no prior experience to be IT support professionals in about eight months. In the five months since its inception, almost 40,000 learners have enrolled in the online program.
With over 150,000 open positions, IT support is one of the fastest growing fields in the US. While there is demand for specialists, employers are often challenged to find trained talent, as the majority of IT support positions do not require a college degree but do require prior experience. Through hands-on assessments that allow learners to troubleshoot as if they were on the job, this certificate is designed to give learners the training and experience they need to get a job in tech support. The median annual wage for computer-user support specialists is $52,160[i].
As part of the announcement, learners who complete the certificate program can now share their information directly with up to 22 top employers who are looking to hire IT Support talent. The first group of employers includes Bank of America, Walmart, Sprint, GE Digital, PNC Bank, Infosys, TEKSystems, UPMC, and Google itself. The 14 new companies include Hulu, MCPc, Cognizant, RICOH USA, and 10 members of the Walmart family: Sam’s Club, Shoes.com, Jet, Allswell, Bonobos, Hayneedle, Modcloth, Moosejaw, Store No 8, and Vudu.
“JFF is excited to join forces with Google to lead the implementation of the Google IT Support Professional Certificate in over 25 leading community colleges across the country,” said Maria Flynn, president and CEO, JFF. “This collaboration is an opportunity for JFF to leverage its extensive expertise in working with community colleges to support Google’s innovative new IT credential that offers a pathway for students into self-sustaining IT jobs.”
The IT Support Professional Certificate is a key program in Grow with Google, our initiative to create more economic opportunities for Americans. Like other Grow with Google programs, such as Get Your Business Online and Applied Digital Skills, the certificate is intended to give more Americans access to the digital skills, and to find success in today’s digital economy.
Already, Google has given 10,000 learners free access to the program through financial aid and Google.org scholarships to nonprofits focusing on low income learners through Year Up, Per Scholas, and Goodwill®; veterans through Student Veterans of America; and refugees through Upwardly Global.
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