Workforce Spotlight

Grow with Google: Using Technology to Drive PA’s Economic Recovery

How technology can help Pennsylvania’s economic recovery

December 02, 2020

For many job seekers across the United States, the difference between landing a job or continuing the search hinges on how well they understand digital tools. Nearly two-thirds of all new jobs created since 2010 require either high or medium-level digital skills, which poses a challenge for jobseekers who lack this essential training. Technology plays a crucial role in helping people find good jobs. It also can help drive broader economic recovery for the country.

This is why we started Grow with Google, the company’s initiative to create economic opportunity for all Americans. Since 2017, we’ve trained more than 5 million people — including thousands of Pennsylvanians — on digital skills that are vital to career and business growth. There are two chief opportunities for how technology can help Pennsylvania workers navigate the digital economy: 1.) by creating pathways to entry-level jobs in high-paying, high-growth career fields and 2.) by providing young people and job seekers with digital fundamentals to get good jobs.

Creating pathways to high-paying jobs in high-growth careers

For many Americans, college degrees are out of reach. According to Brookings Institution, of the 13 million young adults in low-wage jobs, 7.1 million do not have a college degree (associate or bachelor’s) and are not making any progress toward one as they work. In Pennsylvania, 45 percent of the population holds a high school diploma or less.

People without degrees are often most affected by economic downturns; we need accessible job-training solutions to help people reskill and reenter the workforce. We created our Google Career Certificates to help job seekers get the qualifications they need to land high-paying jobs in high-growth fields, with no college degree required. The Google Career Certificates are online programs designed to prepare people for entry-level roles in the high-growth fields of IT support and automation, data analytics, project management and user experience design and can be completed in three to six months.

Since we first launched the IT Support Certificate program two years ago, 100 community colleges have partnered with Google to offer the program, and more than 2,600 Pennsylvanians have enrolled through help from local partners, like Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania-Pittsburgh and Per Scholas. These new career programs are designed and taught by Google employees who work in these fields. No degree or prior experience is required to take the courses.

In addition to helping people develop critical skills, it’s equally important that there is a pathway to employment for the people who complete these programs. Google will consider our Career Certificates as the equivalent of a four-year degree for related entry-level roles at the company. We’ve also established a hiring consortium of more than 50 employers—including Walmart, Hulu, Best Buy and PA-based employers — to provide job opportunities for people who complete these programs. Employers that join

Google's free hiring consortium receive:

• An inclusive talent pipeline: A robust candidate pool through access to highly qualified talent, many from nontraditional backgrounds
• Opportunities to participate: Invitations to participate in interview days and send email campaigns about your open roles to program completers
• Recruiting tools: Exclusive access to post open entry-level roles on a job board, visible only to those who complete the Google Certificates, and the ability to review participant profiles
• Recognition: A “Google participating employer” digital badge that you can post on your company website.

If you’d like to learn more about how to join the hiring consortium to support job opportunities for Pennsylvanians, visit grow.google/employers.

Teaching digital fundamentals to help Pennsylvanians succeed

Knowing the digital basics is critical, no matter the career field that someone is pursuing. Grow with Google’s free curriculum helps people learn skills like how to create a resume and power their job search with Google tools, which can help them become more competitive job candidates.

We deliver these trainings with the help of more than 300 Pennsylvania partners that have enrolled in the Grow with Google Partner Program, and now we offer them virtually from a safe and healthy distance. Our partners have deep reach into the community, and include organizations like the Community Action Partnership for Somerset County, PA Workforce Development Association, Mt. Airy Community Development Corporation, Erie County Public Library, Community College of Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh Professional Women. If you’re interested in learning more about the Grow with Google Partner Program and its free resources for teaching digital skills, check out grow.google/partners.

For those Pennsylvanians who are looking to start or grow a business, Grow with Google and our partners offer free tools and training that cover topics like how to get found on Search and Maps or how to use data to understand website traffic. And our Pittsburgh-based Digital Coach, Kyshira Moffett, is a local resource that Black and Latinx small business owners can turn to for on-the-ground support. Check out Kyshira’s upcoming workshops here.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that digital tools are key to speeding up economic recovery.

Google is committed to making these tools, and the digital skills required to use them, easily accessible to all, thanks in large part to our partners across the Commonwealth. To learn more or to register for an upcoming training, visit google.com/grow.