Google has made $100,000 work of online courses in data analytics, design, and other tech skills for their workers free of charge. Announced last week, it’s an expansion of Google’s Career Certificates. Certificates also are available in IT support, project management, e-commerce, and digital marketing. They cover popular software in each field, including Google advertising services.
The courses, designed by Google and sold through online education service Coursera Inc typically cost students about $39 a month and take three to six months to finish. Google will now cover costs for up to 500 workers at any U.S. business, and it valued the grants at $100,000 because people usually take up to six months to finish.
This tactically felt like something really useful and to use with clients AND internally. Free training? Yes, please.
Beyond that, positioning as a training resource and helping customers use the right programs.
Finally, with labor in such demand, I’d be seriously considering my approaches to hiring in IT services. Google themselves are hiring people with just this – three to six months from nothing to a job seems like a much faster on-ramp.