SCSU Receives $10,000 Google Grant from Minnesota State I.T. Center of Excellence

(KNSI) — St. Cloud State University is among the schools getting a Google grant for project funding to help train students for future jobs through various tech training programs.

Google gave the $50,000 grant to the Minnesota State IT Center of Excellence. St. Cloud State, Bemidji State University, Minnesota State University Mankato, Minnesota State University Moorhead, and Winona State University will get $10,000. The money will be used to help train faculty on course content, develop a program for college students to learn how to create digital portfolios, expand the use of career readiness modules to the education and business programs on campus, create a workforce training program to expand the success of underserved and underpaid minorities, and develop a pathways program that allows students to visualize the academic and non-academic path to various jobs.

Google is currently working with the Minnesota State IT Center of Excellence to offer 500 Google Career Certificate scholarships to students across the state. Google Career Certificates do not require a degree or experience and can be completed within three to six months of part-time study. An employer consortium of more than 150 companies, including Google, considers graduates for open roles. Over 100,000 people have graduated from the program in the U.S., and 75% of them report a positive career impact within six months, such as a new job, promotion, or a raise.

“It is exciting to see large organizations, like Google, stepping up and in to help higher education ready the future generations of leaders,” says Dr. Janice Aanenson, Executive Director of IT COE, “It is a great way to show that together as academia and industry we can make a difference.”

IT COE works with industry and educators to attract and prepare students for in-demand technology jobs in Minnesota. It offers free IT resources for Minnesota K-12 schools and Tech Training for Workforce Development, such as Google Career Certificates.

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