Google Said to Offer $100,000 Worth of Free Online Courses to US Businesses

Google will provide any U.S. business over $1,00,000 (roughly Rs. 80 lakh) worth of online courses in data analytics, design, and other tech skills for their workers free of charge, the search company said on Monday.

The offer marks a big expansion of Google's Career Certificates, a program the company launched in 2018 to help people globally boost their resumes by learning new tools at their own pace.

Over 70,000 people in the US and 2,05,000 globally have earned at least one certificate, and 75 percent receive a benefit such as a new job or higher pay within six months, according to Google.

The courses, designed by Google and sold through online education service Coursera, each typically cost students about $39 (roughly Rs. 3,000) a month and take three to six months to finish. Google will now cover costs for up to 500 workers at any US business, and it valued the grants at $1,00,000 (roughly Rs. 80 lakh) because people usually take up to six months to finish.

Lisa Gevelber, founder of Grow with Google, the company unit overseeing certificates, said course completion rates are higher when people pay out of pocket but that the new offer was still worthwhile if it could help some businesses gain digital savvy.

Certificates also are available in IT support, project management, e-commerce, and digital marketing. They cover popular software in each of the fields, including Google advertising services.

© Thomson Reuters 2022