MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — Gov. Ned Lamont and education officials today announced that Connecticut will become the first state in the nation to offer the entire suite of Google Career Certificates across its state colleges and universities.
The announcement was made as the governor, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, and other education officials participated in a round table at Middlesex Community College. The discussion focused on how to make opportunities for high school students.
Ruth Porat, the CFO of Alphabet, Google's parent company, was also at the round table and part of the announcement.
The certificates are available on the online learning platform Coursera. The program equips people with skills for in-demand jobs within three to six months with no degree or experience required, said the governor's office.
“This is exactly what workforce development is all about,” Governor Lamont said. “We have employers that are looking to hire individuals with these digital skills, and our community college system responded quickly by entering into a partnership with Google to ensure our colleges are ready to start equipping students with these skills so they can enter these in-demand careers that pay over $60,000."
RELATED: Photos surface of Monroe School Board Candidate wearing Blackface as Part of 2018 Halloween Costume
The Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy and Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) will provide residents with the training to fill positions in data analytics, IT support, project management, and design fields that are projected to grow in the next ten years. After completing the program, graduates can share their resume with an employer consortium of more than 150 companies, including Infosys, Verizon, Walmart, Wayfair, and Google.
Infosys has already pledged to hire 250 program graduates at its Hartford location.
"This is about Connecticut residents having the ability to be educated, and provide for their families, and buy a home and chase that American dream," Dr. Cardona said.
All Connecticut community colleges will offer credit courses that will include Google Career Certificate courses beginning in spring 2022.
Non-credit courses will also be offered regionally using the community colleges’ workforce development offices, with the rollout of the Google IT Support certificate in spring 2022.
CSCU will partner with the Office of Workforce Strategy to help initially subsidize these programs for students and job seekers.
“I absolutely love it. I’ve had a passion for tech since I was very young,” Stephanie Ramos-bauza, a student at Wilcox Technical High School, told FOX61. “Always take opportunities because opportunities can sometimes leave and you’re only given opportunities once.”
The company said its new partnerships aim to help individuals bridge the skills gap by gaining the skills needed to take advantage of job openings.
Ruth Porat, Alphabet Chief Financial Officer said that’s where they want to focus.
"We want to help people grow their skills, their careers, and open doors for them," Porat added.
These institutions play an essential role in workforce training with 44% of all U.S. undergraduates attending community colleges, and 7.5 million high school students enrolled in CTE programs, said Google.
“Our public colleges and universities offer the highest quality education and cutting-edge training opportunities. We are thrilled to be the first in the nation to offer all Google Career Certificates on a statewide basis – it is a testament to Governor Lamont’s laser focus on workforce development," CSCU President Terrence Cheng said.
For more information about the certificates, visit either Google’s website or CSCU’s website.
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
---
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.