Google Barnstorming America Loaded with Cash

Google pledges to help Americans prepare for automation

Sets aside $1 billion and launches 'Grow with Google'

Google and Silicon Valley have been suffering from PR problems of late. But it could get quickly turned around by what's coming next from Google. It has pledged to invest $1 billion over the next five years into nonprofits that are helping train people for the 4th generation economy.

Its biggest grant, $10 million, is going to the Goodwill digital career accelerator. It is a collaboration between Google and Goodwill to try and bring awareness and training for digital job skills of the future. The initial premise is to have Goodwill volunteers offer free digital training to underskilled job seekers. From Engadget

The CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, met with Goodwill executives Thursday in Pittsburg to lay out a plan that could help millions of people. Artificial intelligence, robots, and automation will be performing more jobs in the next few years. Google and many in Silicon Valley see job retraining as the next logical step forward in helping with the transition.

Sundar Pichai, Google CEO, from CNBC

"The nature of work is fundamentally changing. And that is shifting the link between education, training and opportunity," Pichai said in prepared remarks at Google's offices in Pittsburgh. "One-third of jobs in 2020 will require skills that aren't common today. It's a big problem."

Already in the last few months, Google has handed out $100 million of the $1 billion to nonprofits, according to Pichai.

Grow with Google website offers free digital training and access to courses

Already making a foray into retraining America is 'Grow with Google'. It is a website portal that offers free online training and also access to courses it believes represent the skills of tomorrow. It is available to anyone, young or old, no matter where they are in their working life.

It has training materials for teacher-students, small business, individual job seekers, and start-ups. There are lesson plans and videos, education tools using Google tech, and a series of Google certificates.

For job seekers, there is a G Suite certificate that trains and tests for Google drive, hangout, Gmail, docs, sheets, slides. To register to test, there is a $75 fee and the test takes 2 hours and is multiple choice.

Launching in January is a Google IT support professional certificate. It is an 8-12  month program that could land those who complete it an entry-level job in Google IT support. Costs for the course is not known.

The courses will be offered through coursera and costs for those programs range from the hundreds of dollars to the thousands.

Googlers coming to US cities to train

Heading to cities throughout the US, areas that are viewed as having been left behind by Silicon Valley is a group of Google experts called Googlers. They will offer free seminars, presentations, and training on a host of digital skills for students, business owners, and job seekers.

The next event is scheduled for Indianapolis November 10 and 11 at the Indiana State Museum. Oklahoma City, Lansing Michigan, Savannah Georgia, Columbia SC, and Lousiville are also on the schedule.

Steve Wozniak Co-Founder of Apple creates WozU

The true inventor of the personal computer, Steve Wozniak, is also getting into the digital education game. He has just started WozU. An online educational platform that trains students and job seekers in all the relevant skills for digital careers. Online classes are available now but physical campuses are in the works as Wozniak wants to reach the k-12 segment in education. Engadget

Steve Wozniak From Engadget

"Our goal is to educate and train people in employable digital skills without putting them into years of debt," Wozniak said in a statement. "People often are afraid to choose a technology-based career because they think they can't do it. I know they can, and I want to show them how."