As members of the U.S. Congress continue to call on
President Joe Biden to enact wide-scale loan cancellation of all private student loan debt, one U.S.-based company is rolling out a program to educate the masses who want a career in online marketing
and ecommerce.
Google on Monday said it will give every U.S. business up to 500 Google Career Certificate scholarships to help train employees in the United States through any
of Google’s Career Certificates -- a donation of up to $100,000.
The digital marketing and ecommerce certificates are endorsed by the American Association of Advertising
Agencies (4As) and the American Advertising Federation (AAF).
“All businesses in the U.S. are eligible to receive up to 500 free scholarships to access Google Career Certificates
on Coursera,” said a Google spokesperson. “To get access for free, a business representative must fill in the sign-up form, and go through a verification process. License allocation is informed by the size of the business, and the number of employees.”
Google Career
Certificates, which launched in 2018 -- about a year after the company introduced Grow with Google -- are available in data analytics, IT support, project management, user experience (UX) design and
now, e-commerce and digital marketing.
The certificates do not require a degree or experience and can be completed within 3 to 6 months of part-time study.
When the Connected
Commerce Council surveyed 2,000 U.S. small business owners and senior decision makers, it discovered that using digital tools during the
COVID-19 pandemic created new business opportunities.
A Gartner survey found that 86% of those participating in the study said digital commerce will become the most important tool for marketing to consumers
during the next two years, but nearly half of small businesses still lack the skills to use digital
tools.
The certificate will train job seekers how to find customers online, sell products or services and conduct marketing analytics and measurement.
Those participating
will get hands-on experience with digital marketing tools and platforms including Canva, Constant Contact, Hootsuite, HubSpot, MailChimp, Shopify, Twitter, Google Ads,
and Google Analytics.
Upon graduation, the program offers access to an employer consortium of more than 150
companies — including Crate & Barrel, Deloitte, Infosys, Verizon, Walmart, Wayfair, and Google.
The certificate program is available on Coursera, an online school where more
than 70,000 people have graduated from the program in the U.S. Internal data suggests that 75% of graduates reported a positive career impact such as a new job, higher pay or a promotion within six
months of completion. Some 55% of graduates identify as Asian, Black, or Latino.
Google initially announced the fund in February 2022. Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced it
at an event with U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Castillo and the CEOs of Social Finance, Merit America and Year Up.
At the time Pichai
announced the donation, he said the "investment in America’s future has the potential to drive $1 billion in wage gains," calling the fund a "new kind of financing model" where the company will
invest "Google capital and Google.org grants and provide our Career Certificate program."