Google offers $100,000 worth of free training to U.S. companies

U.S. businesses can now get up to 500 Google Career Certificate scholarships for free via Coursera, as part of Grow with Google. Google says this is the equivalent of $100,000 in workforce training.

What are Google Career Certificates? Google launched career certificates in 2018 and describes them as “rigorous, online programs with hands-on experience that can be completed as part-time study, 5-10 hours a week for 3-6 months.” 

More than 70,000 people have graduated in the U.S. and 75% reported a positive career impact (e.g., a new job, higher pay, a promotion) within six months of completing certification. Google also noted that 55% of graduates identified as Asian, Black or Latino.

Google offers five professional certificates, including a new one.

New certificate: Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce. If you have employees in need of digital marketing or e-commerce training, this new certificate may be one to explore. 

Google’s description of the certificate: “Whether your business sells to customers or other businesses, your online presence matters. Employees will learn to attract and engage people online, grow customer loyalty, and build successful e-commerce stores.”

People who train for this certificate will learn how to find customers online, sell products or services and do marketing analytics and measurement. They will also get hands-on experience with digital marketing tools like Canva, Constant Contact, Hootsuite, HubSpot, MailChimp, Shopify, Twitter, Google Ads and Google Analytics. 

Google’s certificate for digital marketing and e-commerce can be used to train employees for roles such as:

• Digital Marketing Specialist
• SEO Analyst
• Paid Search Specialist
• Email Marketing Specialist
• Marketing Coordinator
• E-commerce Specialist

The Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Certificate was developed by Google, with input from leading e-commerce companies. It is endorsed by the American Advertising Federation (AAF) and the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s).

In addition, Google offers these career certificates:

• Google IT Support
• Google Data Analytics 
• Google Project Management 
• Google UX Design 

How to claim your credits. Visit Grow with Google and click on the blue Get started button. This will take you to a landing page, where you’ll find a form that an administrator (the business owner or an “employee with authority to make decisions regarding supplementary learning for employees in the organization”) will need to fill out.

This offer expires Dec. 18, 2024. Also make sure to read the FAQ for more details on the program.

Why we care. If you need to reskill or upskill an employee, now you can get Google’s free training to teach them about digital marketing, ecommerce and other areas. Providing employees any needed training could also help improve your business results, and potentially could help with employee retention and engagement.

About The Author

Danny Goodwin is Senior Editor of Search Engine Land. In addition to writing daily about SEO, PPC, and more for Search Engine Land, Goodwin also manages Search Engine Land’s roster of subject-matter experts. He also helps program our conference series, SMX – Search Marketing Expo. Prior to joining Search Engine Land, Goodwin was Executive Editor at Search Engine Journal, where he led editorial initiatives for the brand. He also was an editor at Search Engine Watch. He has spoken at many major search conferences and virtual events, and has been sourced for his expertise by a wide range of publications and podcasts.