Google online course certificate that is as good as a degree!

As the expertise in user experience (UX) design gains popularity, many credible organizations are opening up professional courses in the field. Recently, Google has also decided to open three online certificate programs in UX design, project management, and data analytics.

While UX itself has a wide scope in the software development sector, paired with data analytics and project management, it can give an individual the ability to predict and lead how a particular software will perform on the market. All three skills have a high-paying job scope, and Google has decided to add incentives so that more and more tech-background professionals are encouraged to take them.

Google takes to the whiteboard

The courses do not require a college degree or any prior experience. They will be planned and taught by Google’s own employees. Here’s the interesting part - a certificate from Google’s course will be considered equal to a four-year college degree for roles related to these skills at the company! This is a very tempting offer because the duration of these courses will be three-six months. They will be conducted on the online learning platform - Coursera.

Scholarships galore 

The company has also decided to roll out 100,000 scholarships pertaining to any of these certificate programs. YWCA, NPower, and JFF will be awarded 10 million dollars in grants to put these scholarships to effect. The target group for workforce provision will be women, veterans, and underrepresented Americans.

According to Lisa Gevelber, CMO at America in Google, the specific fields of data analytics, project management, and UX have been chosen due to their scope in ‘high-growth, high-paying’ careers. Further, this announcement has come at a time when the unemployment in the USA is off the charts. The current data suggests that the number of unemployed people has surpassed the Great Recession numbers by five times. Not only is this a result of the increasing market saturation in the US, but also the impact of the pandemic.

Technology is king

The COVID-19 pandemic has given the technology and automation sectors a surge that would have otherwise taken a few more years. With more and more preference to the digital platforms, new skills are in demand. Even those who are already trained in technological skills might need to upskill themselves as the market for tech experts is going to open many opportunities in the coming future.

The low-cost certificate programs are Google’s attempt to level the playing field of tech jobs. It opens the tech market to individuals who have a knack for digital skills but have been unable to get access to formal education. “We believe that the absence of a college degree should not be a barrier to economic stability.”, says Gevelber.

This is not the first certificate course by Google. They also opened an IT course in 2018, which was mainly to diversify their workforce. They wanted to hire ‘underrepresented’ and 'nontraditional applicants’, and as per the company, the course served its purpose. According to the data provided by the company, a number of underprivileged American groups take the IT course and most of them benefited by way of better jobs, and entrepreneurial ventures.

Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera, the learning platform joining Google in providing the certificate course, says that the pandemic has created a demand for an online space to educate and upskill people. This demand was present before but very few people were interested in providing and using it.

E-learning is the future

Furthermore, online courses demand that the applicants have self-direction. If a candidate can successfully get through an online course, their self-discipline is more than others at their level. Google is also not the only big international name out there stepping into the online course business, a number of institutions, including Ivy League universities have also opened up portals to provide courses with certifications that allow students to study remotely from their homes.

Maggioncalda further says that the requirement of a college degree makes a lot of people ineligible for topnotch jobs which they could do well at, only if they had access to the training. Online learning can play a part in assuring social equity. By way of its online course and scholarships, Google wishes to play its part in bringing this equity in the tech sector.

Learn more about the virtual platforms coming up in these unprecedented times:

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• IIM Lucknow online product management course that focuses on data analytics
• How and why to pursue a career in DevOps
• Looking to develop your tech skills? Here are 10 entry-level programming languages for you to choose from!