Google and the U.S. Department of Commerce have announced the launch of a $100 million Google Career Certificates Fund to help accelerate wage gains for American workers.

Google.org has committed $50 million—its largest grant to date—to the fund, which will work with Social Finance to drive $1 billion in aggregate wage gains for more than 20,000 Americans through the certificates program, in which people develop job-ready skills in fields such as data analytics, IT support, project management, and UX Design within three-six months, with no degree or experience required. To that end, Social Finance will deploy Google capital and Google.org grants to Merit America, Year Up, and other nonprofit training providers that will bolster the certificates with wraparound services such as professional coaching, stipends, childcare support, interview prep, and job placement assistance. 

Students would not pay program costs upfront but instead repay program costs via no-interest, low monthly payments if they secure a job making at least $40,000 annually. Social Finance will reinvest repayments back into the program for several years to enable more learners to benefit. In addition, certificate graduates will gain access to an Employer Consortium of more than 150 companies—including Bayer, Deloitte, SAP, Verizon, Walmart, Wayfair, and Google—that consider Google certificate graduates for relevant open roles. And Google will provide employees with opportunities to volunteer with learners to help them navigate the transition into digitally focused careers by hosting virtual mock interviews and career coaching in areas related to the certificate fields.  

“We are excited to support Social Finance to help expand economic opportunity for more Americans with our new $100 million Google Career Certificates Fund,” said Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. “This innovative funding model brings together digital skills training and support services to connect more Americans to high-growth, high-paying jobs. We hope it will be transformative for people, their families, and their communities.” 

(Photo Credit: Getty Images/SDI Productions)