PRESS RELEASE
Allen University Joins Grow with Google
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Jean Cecil Frick
(803) 253-8232
South Carolina Colleges Join Grow with Google, Thurgood Marshall College Fund Program to Train 20,000 HBCU Students in Digital Skills This School Year
The Program Is Part of Google’s $15 Million Commitment To Upskill Black Workers, Announced in June
January 4, 2021 -- Google today announced sixteen new schools are joining its Grow with Google HBCU Career Readiness Program, including Allen University and South Carolina State University in South Carolina. Through a $1 million investment in the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), the program provides digital skills workshops in HBCU career centers to help Black students prepare for the workforce. Announced in October, the initiative’s goal is to reach 20,000 students during the current school year. Today’s announcement brings the number of participating schools to twenty total, and the program will be available to all HBCUs by fall 2021.
“Google believes investing in HBCU students strengthens the future workforce and increases economic opportunity,” said Bonita Stewart, Vice President for Global Partnerships at Google and Howard University alumna. “We’re proud to expand our Grow with Google HBCU Career Readiness Program with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to reach more HBCU students with the digital skills they need to thrive in the workforce.”
TMCF—the nation’s largest organization exclusively representing the Black College Community—has a track record of successfully connecting HBCU students with scholarships, training and jobs as they navigate college and careers. Its long history of on-the-ground work ensures the Grow with Google HBCU Career Readiness Program is tailored to meet student needs.
“I am thrilled that the Grow with Google HBCU Career Readiness program is coming to Allen and South Carolina State Universities,” said House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn. “These partnerships will enable students to gain the necessary skills to ensure their equal access to workforce opportunities. I applaud Google and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund for investing in historically underfunded HBCUs, which will guarantee their students’ inclusion in the highly-skilled, diverse workforce of the future.”
“As a recipient of the Grow with Google Career Readiness Program grant, we are thrilled about this awesome opportunity to partner with Google, a world leader in the information technology industry,” said SC State University President James E. Clark. “This grant will allow our institution to continue its historic mission to provide access to promising men and women; creating opportunities for them to become productive global citizens successfully competing in a global marketplace.”
Started last October, the Grow with Google HBCU Career Readiness Program provides HBCU career centers with funding and a semester-long in-person and online digital skills program. The program combines existing Grow with Google workshops with custom job seeker content for Black students, including design thinking, project management, and professional brand building. TMCF, which is contributing to the program’s design, will work with HBCU career centers to onboard the program.
This $1 million Grow with Google investment is part of a $15 million commitment to upskill Black workers. Announced by Google CEO Sundar Pichai last June, the investment aims to help Black job seekers learn new skills in partnership with national workforce development organizations.
“A central part of the mission of TMCF is to prepare the next generation of workforce talent. Our partnership with Google enables this mission and ensures students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities are positioned to compete for meaningful careers”, said Dr. Harry L. Williams, President and CEO of Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
Grow with Google is Google’s initiative to create economic opportunities for all by providing free tools and training. Since 2017, the program has trained more than five million Americans on digital skills. The Grow with Google HBCU Career Readiness Program builds on the company’s ongoing investments in HBCU students. Since 2013, the Google In Residence program has placed Google software engineers at HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) as faculty. The company also hosts Tech Exchange, a virtual student exchange program that teaches HBCU and HSU students applied computer science courses.
For more information on Grow with Google’s HBCU Career Readiness program, please visit this website.
ABOUT GROW WITH GOOGLE
Grow with Google was started in 2017 to help Americans grow their skills, careers and businesses. It provides free training, tools, and expertise to help small business owners, veterans and military families, jobseekers and students, educators, startups, and developers. Since Grow with Google’s inception, it has helped more than five million Americans grow their skills, careers and businesses. Grow with Google has created a network of more than 7,500 partner organizations like libraries, schools, small business development centers, chambers of commerce and nonprofits to help people coast-to-coast.
ABOUT THE THURGOOD MARSHALL COLLEGE FUND
Established in 1987, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is the nation’s largest organization exclusively representing the Black College Community. TMCF member-schools include the publicly-supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Predominantly Black Institutions, enrolling nearly 80% of all students attending black colleges and universities. Through scholarships, capacity building and research initiatives, innovative programs and strategic partnerships, TMCF is a vital resource in the PK-12 and higher education space. The organization is also the source of top employers seeking top talent for competitive internships and good jobs. TMCF is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization. For more information about TMCF, visit: tmcf.org.