Helping develop the skills and jobs of the digital future

Growing up in Western Sydney, my mum ran a catering business. She made calls on a phone with a rotary dialler, used paper invoice books, received payments with cheques and cash, and met with customers face to face - sometimes in our living room.

Today, the ‘everyday’ for businesses looks very different to how it was for my mum. Banking is digital, invoices are automatic, and the connections and conversations with customers often happen online.

Technology’s rapid acceleration has created entire industries that didn’t exist before, along with a wealth of new opportunities for Australians. But the speed of change has led to a digital skills gap, as businesses and people adapt to fast changing industries. And companies - including Google - have experienced difficulty in finding enough qualified candidates to fill roles, like IT Support.

Matching pace with technology will require continuous, ongoing upskilling, and government, business and industry working together to ensure Australians have access to the skills they need to thrive in the digital future.

Today, we’re announcing a new program as part of our Digital Future Initiative that will help Australians develop in demand digital skills and connect them with open job roles where employers need it most.

Announcing Google Career Certificates in Australia

Google Career Certificates are new online courses that will help upskill Australians in high growth technology areas like IT support, data analytics, project management, digital marketing and e-commerce, and UX design.

We have built an employer consortium of Australian employers, including Australia Post, Woolworths Group, Canva, Optus and IAG, who recognise the qualifications and are interested in considering certificate graduates for suitable open roles within their organisations.

The certificate qualifications are flexible online courses - recognising that not only have there been changes in the skills Australians need, but the way we learn has changed too. Google experts working in each field share their first-hand experiences, coaching and practical knowledge to help learners. The training is up-to-the-minute and the quality hits that high bar that employers are looking for.

Through a mix of videos, assessments, hands-on labs and interactive exercises, learners are introduced to topics required for an entry-level job.

10,000 scholarships focused on women and First Nations Australians

A strong digital future will require that all Australians have access to technology and the skills to use it.

To ensure Australians from underrepresented communities have access to new skilling and job opportunities, and help support a more diverse talent pipeline in Australia’s technology sector, we’ve also announced that we will provide 10,000 scholarships with a focus on women and Indigenous Australians.

As part of this, we will partner with Indigitek, Project F, Generation Australia and Code Like a Girl that will handle the take up and distribution of the scholarships.

What Industry and Partners are saying

• Jennifer Westacott, Chief Executive - Business Council of Australia: “Microcredentials mean people can get the skills they need – when they need them. Google’s leadership is critical to building the digital skills workers and businesses need, especially for those who are underrepresented in digital roles.”
• Kate Pounder, Chief Executive Officer - Tech Council of Australia: “The Tech Council welcomes Google’s rollout of the Career Certificates program in Australia. Tech workforce shortages are impacting businesses across the economy. Innovative training models like these are needed to reach our shared goal with the Australian Government of 1.2m tech jobs by 2030.”
• Christine Stasi, Group Executive, People Performance & Reputation - IAG: “This initiative will positively contribute to bridging the skills gap across the Australian marketplace, and create new career opportunities for a diverse and untapped talent pool.”
• Amy Schultz, Global Head of Talent Acquisition - Canva: “Micro credentials are actually a really effective way for folks to flexibly develop the skills that they need to land that next job. And hopefully that next job is in tech here in Australia.
• Leonie Valentine, EGM Customer Experience & Digital Technology- Australia Post: “This partnership will help Australia Post further develop the strong pipeline of diverse talent that's essential to delivering the best digital and technology solutions for our customers, and the Australian community."
• Ben Armstrong, Chief Executive Officer - Indigitek: “We want to create 300 jobs in the tech industry for Indigenous people by 2030. The Google Career Certificates program is actually really important to supporting that vision, allowing that flexibility for Indigenous people to study where they want, when they want, in their own time but achieve something that is going to be recognised.”
• Malcolm Kinns, Chief Executive Officer - Generation Australia: “Alternative pathways to traditional education unlock and accelerate new talent capacity and digital skills where industry demand is high. At the individual level, this initiative will support those who have experienced significant barriers to employment or need reskilling.”
• Brooke Hayne, People Director - Woolies X at Woolworths Group: “We’re incredibly excited by the potential for Google’s Career Certificates to unearth great talent by fast-tracking their path to a career change or that first job that helps them get their foot in the door.”
• Emma Jones, Founder and CEO - Project F: “Women are underrepresented in the high-demand tech roles of the future. Google Certificates give so many organisations the ability to address this very real problem in a meaningful and impactful way.”

Since 2014, we have trained more than 600,000 Australians in digital skills through Grow with Google, our global skilling initiative that helps people embrace digital opportunities such as finding a job, advancing their careers, or growing their businesses. We believe that Google Career Certificates can play an important role in providing Aussies with the skills our local industries need.

You can find more information on the courses and scholarships here.