Google this week announced that Alabama A&M University, Stillman College and Tuskegee University are joining its Grow with Google Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Career Readiness Program.
Through a $1 million investment in the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), the program provides digital skills workshops in HBCU career centers to help black students prepare for the workforce.
Announced in October, the initiative’s goal is to reach 20,000 students during the current school year. The latest announcement brings the total number of participating campuses to 20, and the program will be available to all HBCUs by this coming fall.
“Google believes investing in HBCU students strengthens the future workforce and increases economic opportunity,” stated Bonita Stewart, vice president for Global Partnerships at Google. “We’re proud to expand our Grow with Google HBCU Career Readiness Program with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to reach more HBCU students with the digital skills they need to thrive in the workforce.”
Grow with Google’s $1 million investment is part of an overall $15 million commitment by the company to upskill black workers, as announced by Google CEO Sundar Pichai in June 2020.
“Stillman College is excited to participate in the Grow with Google Career Readiness Initiative. Most jobs today require enhanced digital computational and communication skills, and this program will facilitate skills development to ensure our students are competitive,” said Dr. Cynthia Warrick, president of Stillman College in Tuscaloosa.
Started last October, the Grow with Google HBCU Career Readiness Program provides HBCU career centers with funding and a semester-long, in-person and online digital skills program. The program combines existing Grow with Google workshops with custom job seeker content for black students, including design thinking, project management and professional brand building.
“The global pandemic has punctuated and underscored the emerging role that digital skills will have in the workplace. The new norm will mandate that all college students have some form of mastery of digital skills,” advised Yvette S. Clayton, director of Career Development Services for Alabama A&M in Huntsville.
This comes after Grow with Google in recent months opened its Digital Coaches program to Birmingham-area small businesses.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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