Google.org to invest $5M in Latino-led workforce development organizations
February 1, 2022 (Chicago, IL) — Today Morton College announced its participation in the Grow with Google HSI Career Readiness Program. The initiative will help Latino students at over 20 Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) prepare for the workforce through digital skills training and career workshops. Through a $2 million investment in the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), the program will train 200,000 Latino students by 2025. Google.org, Google’s philanthropy, will also provide $5 million dollars in grants to three Latino-serving workforce organizations—UnidosUS, the League of United Latin American Citizens and the Hispanic Federation—to help workers upskill for in-demand jobs while providing wraparound support.
“We have an obligation to provide the next generation of workers with the skills and training they need to thrive in a 21st-century economy,” said Congresswoman Marie Newman. “That is why I am thrilled to see Cicero’s very own Morton College partner with the Grow with Google HSI Career Readiness Program, which will not only provide crucial digital training to hundreds of thousands of local students right here in Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District but also prepare them for the good-paying jobs of our future.”
Latino workers face systemic barriers to economic opportunity, including a lack of access to digital skills training. Over 80% of U.S. jobs require digital skills, but 55% of Latinos have little to no digital skills training. Latinos are also overrepresented in jobs that are at the highest risk of elimination due to automation, furthering the need to upskill for an increasingly digital economy. Alongside partners, Google’s latest commitments aim to increase economic mobility in the Latino community by furthering access to the training and digital skills needed to obtain an in-demand job.
“Morton College is very excited to partner with HACU and Google to offer its students the Grow with Google Career Readiness Program. Providing our students with the resources they need to improve their Employability Skills is vital to their success,” said Michael Rose, Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives, Adult, Career & Technical Education. “At Morton College our focus has always been to ensure our students are ready for the transition into the workforce and to promote a commitment to lifelong learning. Morton is proud to be part of the Grow with Google team, and we look forward to the opportunity this platform creates for our students.”
In partnership with HACU, the Grow with Google HSI Career Readiness Program will provide HSI career centers with funding and a semester-long in-person and online digital skills program. HACU has a track record of increasing access to education in the Latino community, and two-thirds of Latino college students in the U.S. attend one of its member institutions. The initiative will combine career workshops, career counseling, and programming on design thinking, project management, and professional brand building. The participating schools will also create additional material tailored to student needs.
“Google is proud to work with leading Latino-serving organizations to advance access to digital skills and workforce training in the Latino community,” said Ana Corrales, Chief Operating Officer for Google’s Devices and Services. “Together with organizations like the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, we aim to help bridge wealth and opportunity gaps in the Latino community, so that everyone has an opportunity to succeed in today’s digital economy.”
Google is also providing $5 million in grants to UnidosUS, the League of United Latin American Citizens and the Hispanic Federationto help members of the Latino community prepare for jobs in the digital economy. They will work with local affiliates across the U.S. to reach over five thousand Latino jobseekers with training opportunities to grow their digital skills and access to Google Career Certificates. The Google Career Certificates equip people with skills for in-demand jobs within three to six months and are available with Spanish subtitles.
“LULAC wants to thank Google for the company’s investment in workforce development. This program breaks systemic barriers to entry into the tech industry and offers our members and our communities in Illinois, Texas and California, the unique opportunity to up-skill, re-skill and earn certificates that will allow them to earn a good living in the tech economy, uplifting entire families,”said Sindy Benavides, LULAC CEO. “We look forward to partnering with the Google Foundation in the future and expanding this program to even more communities.”
Google’s latest commitments build on over $35M provided to date to expand economic opportunity in the Latino community, including a recent $15 million commitment to help Latino entrepreneurs, job seekers and students succeed in today’s economy.Since 2013, the company has partnered with HSIs and HBCUs to place Google software engineers in schools as faculty, and the company also hosts Tech Exchange, a virtual student exchange program that teaches HSI and HBCU students applied computer science courses.
For more information, please visit Grow.Google.com.
Additional Supporting Quotes
“Ensuring Hispanic-Serving Institutions have the resources available to help students excel in the workforce is crucial in today’s competitive job market,” said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores. “We are excited to partner with Google on this innovative initiative and collaborate with HSIs to offer career services for students to graduate with the digital skills and training that can expand their employment prospects.”
“Congratulations to Google.org for their historic investment in the Latino community and thank you for reinvesting in Hispanic Federation’s work to help close the digital divide impacting Latinos in the United States, “ said Frankie Miranda, President of Hispanic Federation. “With the support of Google.org, Hispanic Federation has provided digital skills training to over 14,000 individuals expanding their career opportunities and placing 2,000 in new jobs. With their reinvestment, Hispanic Federation will expand our impact and support training for an additional 3,000 individuals.”
“We thank Google for continuing to be a strong partner with UnidosUS in our shared mission to build digital skills in the Latinx community,” said UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía. “Latinos are the future of the American workforce, and with this grant, we will be able to expand our Latinx Digital Skills Pipeline to reach thousands more individuals to help them develop the 21st century skills needed to succeed in the U.S. economy and earn family-sustaining wages.”
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 seven million Americans develop new skills. Grow with Google has a network of more than 8,000 partner organizations like libraries, schools, small business development centers, chambers of commerce, workforce development boards and nonprofits to help people coast-to-coast.
ABOUT HACUThe Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, founded in 1986, represents more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States, Latin America, Spain and school districts throughout the U.S. HACU is the only national association representing existing and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The Association’s headquarters are in San Antonio, Texas, with regional offices in Washington, D.C and Sacramento, California.
About Morton College
Founded in 1924 to meet the educational demands in the growing communities of Berwyn, Cicero, Forest View, Lyons, McCook, Stickney and other near-western suburbs, Morton College is the second oldest community college in Illinois. Its mission is to enhance the quality of life of its diverse community through exemplary teaching and learning opportunities, community service, and life-long learning. Morton College is governed by a locally elected Board of Trustees, and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. For more information on Morton College, visit www.morton.edu.