CU Boulder launches Google certificate program

BOULDER — The University of Colorado Boulder Monday becomes the first four-year institution of higher education in Colorado to offer Google Career Certificates through its Career Services office, 

The program will be offered free to students, recent graduates and staff. The pilot program, launching Dec. 5, aims to help individuals gain in-demand skills and credentials for the digital economy.

“This innovative partnership — the first of its kind in the state — allows students to add a quality, industry-recognized credential to their collegiate experience potentially enhancing a student’s marketability in the workforce,” Angie Paccione, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, said in a written statement. “It also aligns with our stackable credentials work which allows employers to inform postsecondary program curriculum to ensure graduates are developing the skills and competencies most valued by employers — a clear win/win for students and employers.”

Robert H. McDonald, dean of University Libraries and senior vice provost of online education at CU Boulder, said the partnership “will support our students and staff in learning new skills that are directly applicable to work-based experience while enhancing their CU Boulder degrees in new ways.” 

The program will be hosted on the Coursera platform and will provide access to six Google Career Certificates in fields such as data analytics, project management, IT support and UX design. The certificates are designed and taught by Google employees and are considered stackable credentials, or part of a sequence of credentials that can be accumulated over time to demonstrate an individual’s expanded knowledge and competencies. To connect certificate graduates to jobs, the program includes an employer consortium of more than 150 companies — including Deloitte, Ford, Verizon, Walmart and Google — that considers them for relevant roles. 

“Google has proudly been a part of the Boulder community for over 15 years,” Lisa Gevelber, founder of Grow with Google, said in a written statement. “We’re thrilled to offer the Google Career Certificates program to students and workers at the University of Colorado at Boulder. This partnership will help current and future workers qualify for in-demand jobs, and furthers our commitment to workforce development and economic growth in the state.”

The program is targeted to CU Boulder juniors and seniors who are preparing to enter the workforce.

More than 200,000 people have graduated from the program in the U.S., with 55% of graduates identifying as Asian, Black or Latino.

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