Google has announced plans to provide$100,000 worth of Google Career Certificates to US-based businesses that want to train their employees in data analytics, digital marketing, IT support, project management, or user experience (UX) design.

Eligible organizations can apply for up to 500 scholarships each in a variety of digital skills. Google says that no previous experience is required and credentials can be earned over a period of either three or six months of part-time study.

Google launched its Career Certificates program in 2018, with more than 70,000 people in the United States and 205,000 globally having earned at least one certificate in that time.

Google has also added a new digital marketing and ecommerce certificate to the program, teaching skills such as how to build an online store, measuring analytics, and increasing customer loyalty using tools like Google Ads and Analytics, as well as non-Google tools.

Closing the skills gap

Research shows that the current US labor market is in a state of flux. According to Gartner's latest Global Labor Market Survey, only 29% of global IT employees have solid plans to stay with their current employer.

In the US, while all IT jobs lost during the pandemic have been recovered, statistics show that the hiring of IT professionals is now being hindered by a lack of qualified individuals.

"The already tight labor market just became even tighter as competition for tech talent reaches near-record levels. For any employer relying on the old hiring playbook, it's time to rethink approaches to recruiting and retention," Tim Herbert, chief research officer at CompTIA, said in a statement in April.