Groundbreaking new initiative will equip 1.2 million people with vital digital skills.
Google.org and Goodwill, the United States’ leading workforce development nonprofit, have announced the launch of the Goodwill Digital Career Accelerator. Funded by a $10 million grant from Google.org and with the assistance of 1,000 Google volunteers, the new Goodwill initiative will enable more than one million people — including people with disabilities and disadvantages, youth, older workers, veterans and military families, and people who are transitioning back into society — to receive digital skills training over the next three years.
To launch the initiative, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Google.org President Jacquelline Fuller will visit with Goodwill Industries International President and CEO Jim Gibbons and Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania President and CEO Mike Smith at the Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania headquarters in Pittsburgh this afternoon.
The CEOs will participate in a Digital Skills Career Day, a half day of sessions designed to raise awareness of digital skills training and career opportunities among Goodwill program participants and build Goodwill team members’ capability to train individuals for careers that require digital skills. Google volunteers will be on the ground to help conduct trainings for the Pittsburgh Goodwill’s team members and program participants. The trainings will focus on a variety of topics ranging from applied digital skills to Google tools for jobs and demystifying digital careers.
“Together, Goodwill and Google are helping people advance their skills and change their lives,” said Gibbons. “This exciting investment from one of the world’s most innovative technology and digital leaders will help Goodwill organizations across the country equip more than a million people with the digital skills they need to advance their careers. I’m proud of the work Google and local Goodwill organizations will accomplish together.”
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there are more than 6 million job openings in the United States. Many of these jobs remain unfilled because job applicants lack specific skills employers report they need. This innovative initiative will allow Goodwill organizations to enhance their job training programs to incorporate the ever-changing demand for new skills in the digital economy, and build the capacity of Goodwill organizations to equip their employees and participants with those skills. As part of the Digital Career Accelerator, 1,000 Google employees will volunteer with Goodwill organizations over the next three years to provide training and career coaching sessions.
“Goodwill is the leading workforce development nonprofit in the United States and Google is proud to support them as they prepare more than one million people across the country to get the critical digital skills they need to be successful today and in the future,” said Jacquelline Fuller, president of Google.org. “We both share a commitment to create opportunities for everyone, and we’re excited to amplify Goodwill’s amazing work through our giving and Google volunteers.”
About Google
Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely-known companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.
Source: Goodwill® and Google.org Launch Digital Career Accelerator | Goodwill Industries International, Inc.
