The Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) and Google have announced a new partnership aimed at helping thousands of Tennessee community and technical college students earn Google Career Certificates in high-demand fields. The partnership also includes offering the Google AI Essentials course, designed by AI experts at Google, to teach foundational skills in artificial intelligence technology.
According to a Brookings study, nearly two-thirds of all new jobs created since 2010 require medium to high-level digital skills. However, one in three American workers have limited or no digital skills. Google Career Certificates aim to address this gap by preparing learners for in-demand fields like Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, Digital Marketing & E-commerce, IT Support, Project Management, and User Experience (UX) Design. The partnership with TBR will help students gain job-ready skills and an industry-recognized certificate.
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The TBR system, which includes the state’s 37 public Community Colleges and Colleges of Applied Technology, has already seen positive outcomes from colleges such as Chattanooga, Motlow, Nashville, and Volunteer State Community Colleges that have begun offering Google Career Certificates. With the new announcement, the certificate programs will be extended to other participating TBR colleges across the state.
Colleges may offer these certificate programs in various formats, including embedding them in existing classes, as stand-alone courses for enrolled students, or as career-training opportunities through their workforce development divisions.
Dr. Flora W. Tydings, Chancellor of the TBR system, expressed excitement about the partnership, highlighting the skills-building opportunities and the value the certificates will bring to students’ careers. The collaboration aligns with TBR’s mission of Student Success and Workforce Development and its Strategic Plan, which emphasizes Open Access, Completion, and Community and Workforce Development.
Rob Magliaro, Workforce Partnerships Lead at Google, noted that the initiative will provide training for in-demand jobs, boosting career opportunities and economic mobility for Tennesseans.
Google Career Certificates can be completed within three to six months of part-time study, with no prior experience required. The courses are offered online through Coursera and may include in-classroom support on some campuses. Each certificate includes over 100 practice and graded assessments to ensure rigor and mastery. The program also provides resources such as résumé templates, coaching from Career Circle, and interview practice. Graduates are connected with an employer consortium of over 150 companies, including Ford, Verizon, and Google.
More than 250,000 people in the U.S. have earned a Google Career Certificate, with 75 percent of graduates reporting a positive career impact within six months of completion.
The announcement event took place at Motlow State Community College’s Smyrna Campus, where Dr. Michael Torrence, the college’s president, highlighted Motlow’s early participation in the program. Stacey Bradley, IT Manager for the City of Red Bank, Tennessee, shared her positive experience earning an IT Specialist certificate through the Google Career Certificates program at Chattanooga State.
State Senator Dawn White and State Representatives Mike Sparks and Tim Rudd also attended the announcement, expressing their support for the initiative.
For more information, visit the Google Career Certificates page on the TBR website.
Contact:
Richard Locker
615-366-4417
Published: 08/07/2024
Follow on Twitter: @CollegeSystemTN
Source: Read Original Release
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