File photo - Goodwill store sign. (Photo by: Education Images/UIG via Getty Images)
Google and Goodwill are ramping up an initiative offering digital skills training to job seekers.
Last year the tech giant joined forces with Goodwill to launch the Goodwill Digital Career Accelerator. The project aims to “jump-start” career opportunities for 1.2 million people by 2021, according to Google.
Backed by a three-year $10 million grant from Google’s charitable arm, Google.org, the program is currently active in 93 Goodwill locations across 34 states. Another 33 Goodwill sites will be added to the effort in 2019, according to Google.
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There were 7.1 million job openings in the U.S. on the last day of February, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Tuesday. Advanced skills such as computer support or programming are increasingly essential for many well-paying jobs, according to Google.
One year into the project, the organizations have helped 27,682 job seekers find employment, according to a new report from Google and Goodwill. Some 252,025 job seekers have improved their digital skills, with 16,398 people learning software skills and 1,261 job seekers acquiring mid-level and occupation-specific skills.
“In just over a year since we began our work with Goodwill to launch the Goodwill Digital Career Accelerator, 27,000 Americans have found a job and a quarter million more have gained digital skills that they need to succeed,” said Google CEO Sundar Pichai, in a statement provided to Fox News. “We’ve also learned important lessons about making digital job training effective that we’ll build on as we continue our efforts to bring opportunity to everyone across the country.”
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“The Goodwill Digital Career Accelerator helps job seekers and mid-career professionals attain the skills they need to find work and enhance their earnings potential,” said Steven C. Preston, CEO of Goodwill Industries International, in a statement provided to Fox News. “Thanks to the early success of this program, Goodwill and Google.org are extending its reach to workers across the country as we aim to train more than 1.25 million workers with the digital skills needed to succeed in today’s job market and prepare for the changing workforce.”
The effort is supported by over 1,000 Google volunteers and seven Google employees who are working full-time at Goodwill.
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