Shapiro announces partnership with PASSHE, Google to help the Pa. workforce

MILLERSVILLE, Pa. (WTAJ) — Governor Josh Shapiro announced a new public-private partnership between Google and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) that makes industry-recognized Google Career Certificates available to students and the public to help them secure a good-paying job.

This new public-private partnership will enable PASSHE students to earn a Google Career Certificate during their regular undergraduate programs, allowing them to earn college credit and an industry-recognized certificate at the same time. To support continuing education efforts, PASSHE universities can also offer credentials to the public, through non-credit courses and workshops, giving those who complete the program access to Google’s employer consortium.

“It’s time for a blueprint for higher education focused on competitiveness and workforce development, one that is grounded in access and affordability,” Governor Shapiro said. “Today, PASSHE has given us a clear example of what that can look like in practice, by connecting classroom learning to job-ready skills development so our students get the best of both worlds.”

PASSHE is the first higher education system in Pennsylvania to partner with Google to offer Google Career Certificates.

The program offers skills training in the following fields:

• Cybersecurity
• Data analytics
• Digital marketing & e-commerce
• Business intelligence
• IT support
• Project management and user experience (UX) design

Google employees developed the Google Career Certificates to support skilling for in-demand fields. The program includes an employer consortium of over 150 companies, including Pennsylvania-based companies such as SAP, Expedient, the Project Management Institute, CMI Media Group, and Google — that hire talent trained in the certificate fields.

Over 200,000 people have graduated from the program in the U.S., and 75% report a positive career impact, such as a new job, higher pay, or a promotion, within six months of completion.

Pennsylvania residents who are not enrolled at a PASSHE university can also access the certificates at nonprofit organizations throughout the state, including the YWCA, Family Promise, Raices Cyber Org, and more