Slashdot Mirror
Google Starts Certificate Program To Fill Empty IT Jobs (axios.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: There are 150,000 open IT jobs in the U.S., and Google wants to make it easier to fill them. Today the company is announcing a certificate program on the Coursera platform to help give people with no prior IT experience the basic skills they need to get an entry-level IT support job in 8 to 12 months. Why it matters: Entry-level IT jobs are are typically higher-paying than similar roles in other fields. But they're harder to fill because, while IT support roles don't require a college degree, they do require prior experience. The median annual wage for a computer network support specialist was $62,670 in May 2016 The median annual wage for a computer user support specialist was $52,160 in May 2016. The impetus: Natalie Van Kleef Conley, head recruiter of Google's tech support program, was having trouble finding IT support specialists so she helped spearhead the certificate program. It's also part of Google's initiative to help Americans get skills needed to get a new job in a changing economy, the company told us.
I wish the article went into a quick view of the details. For anyone that doesn't want to look into it:
* Expectation is that you are giving 8-10 hours a week for 8 months to achieve the certification
* This is a subscription based service at $49/month
* You can apply for financial aid for the courses you are taking to relieve the cost burden
* Once you achieve the certification, then you will receive job seeking aid from Google/Coursera
Well, there are a couple of verifiable facts. Google does have some kind of certification program of an online nature. Axios.com is hosting a story about IT Jobs and Google. And Kim Hart got the Bi-Line for the story. It must be its first day on the job, because there is no reference to facts. So this article is Bull Shit.