The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) and Google recently formed a public-private partnership to make the industry-recognized Google Career Certificates available to students and the public.
PASSHE students will be able to earn a Google Career Certificate during their regular undergraduate programs. Skills training offered include cybersecurity, data analytics, digital marketing & e-commerce, business intelligence, IT support, project management and user experience design.
The Google Career Certificates program includes an employer consortium of more than 150 companies that hire talent trained in the certificate fields. In the United States, more than 200,000 people have graduated from the program, and 75 percent report a positive career impact.
“Offering Google Career Certificates along with our own undergraduate courses prepares students with the comprehensive education and specific skills that employers want,” Cynthia Shapira, PASSHE Board of Governors chairwoman, said. “Additionally, non-students can prepare for entry-level jobs with the option to continue earning more advanced credentials or pursue a four-year degree.”
Pennsylvania residents who are not enrolled at a PASSHE university can access the certificates via nonprofit organizations statewide and can take noncredit courses and workshops.
In Pennsylvania, PASSHE is the first higher education system to partner with Google to offer the certificates.