Tag Archives: grow with google

From IT Certificate completers to Googlers

Like many success stories, our journey to create the Google IT Support Certificatewas inspired by a challenge: We had issues finding qualified candidates to fill our own IT support team. We developed the Google IT Support Certificate (IT Cert for short), which requires no experience or degree, and helps prepare people for entry-level jobs in IT support in three to six months. In addition to helping us fill roles at Google, we created a hiring consortiumof over 50 national employers, including companies like Hulu, Sprint and Walmart, which consider graduates for roles.

In today’s economic environment, we’re committed to creating further access to job training to help people grow their career and economic potential. We’ve seen great results with the IT Cert: 80 percent of program participants report a positive career impact like a raise or a promotion, and 58 percent of participants identify as Black, Latino, female and/or veteran. But our work is not done. We recently created more pathways to jobs, including new Google Career Certificates in high-paying, high-growth career fields that do not require a degree, a new apprenticeship program at Google that teaches the certificate and a program that will bring the IT Cert to 100 career and technical education high schools for free by the end of 2021. 


Learn more today by joining our Grow with Google OnAir session, Plan Your Next Career Move with Google's IT Certificate. And read on to hear from graduates who experienced everything from homelessness to unemployment before taking the Google IT Cert and starting a role at Google.

Chelsea, who works at a Google data center

Chelsea Rucker, Data Center Technician, Google

Chelsea Rucker had recently moved out of a shelter for homeless women in Nashville with her two young daughters. After taking a job at her local Goodwill, she learned the organization had partnered with Google to offer its IT Cert program. She received a program scholarship and spent the next several months enrolled in the self-directed course, carving out time to study while balancing her duties as a single mother and her 40-hour work week at Goodwill. After completing the program, she found an open IT role at Google, but struggled with imposter syndrome. 

“I thought there was no way Google would hire me,” she says. “After I gathered up the courage, I sent them my resume.” Chelsea landed the job at Google and credits the IT Cert program with giving her the foundational knowledge she needed to succeed. 

“Nobody ever talks about how this is possible—if we become well-versed in technology, we’ll find all kinds of opportunities..I’m a firm believer that difficult does not mean impossible,” Chelsea says. 

Xavier, a Google IT Resident

Xavier Heydt, IT Resident, Google

Xavier had always been good with computers, even helping family and friends build them, but had never really considered an IT career. He started with Linux and Python courses at a community college, but then heard about the Google IT Cert and finally saw a career he was interested in. He enrolled in the program. “It was like a fire hose of knowledge,” Xavier says. 

After completing the program, he shared his resume with several companies from the program’s hiring consortium. Within two weeks, a Google recruiter reached out and encouraged him to apply to Google’s Information Technology Residency program. Thanks to the courses, he was ready for the technical interviews and got a job in internal IT support at Google’s Ann Arbor office. “I don't know what my career trajectory would have been without the certificate program,” he says. “My experience at Google has been life-changing and the Google IT Cert is what opened that door for me.”

Aldi, who works as a Google IT Resident

Aldi Suryoutom, IT Resident, Google

Aldi first was introduced to computers when he was around 7, growing up in Indonesia. His father brought home a PC with a Pentium 1 microprocessor in it. He would spend hours exploring how this new machine worked, trying to understand how the programs operated and tinkered with the hardware until the computer would freeze up. 

Aldi enrolled in the IT Cert program and loved the process and lessons. “The IT Cert program does a great job of preparing us for interviews with real word examples and practice,” he says. “I used to program to prepare for my interview questions that the recruiters asked me.”  Aldi was offered a job within Google’s IT services and went from being a student technician to working in an IT support role. “Everything I learned from the IT Cert program led me to Google,” he says.

Create through code with Grasshopper Gallery

Since Grasshopper launched in 2018, millions of people with no previous coding experience have learned fundamental programming concepts. As students have learned the basics, they have told us they developed confidence, motivation and a desire to apply their lessons in the real world. Grasshopper has been helping increase access to coding education and helping prepare people for career opportunities in technology. The transition from learning to building is an important part of the process of pursuing a technical career.

As part of Grow with Google, our commitment to increase economic opportunity for everyone, today we’re announcing the launch of the Grasshopper Gallery on desktop to give students a place to build and create.

Applying your coding skills

With our beginner-centered learning environment, students are guided through exercises that teach key coding concepts like functions, loops and variables. Students build coding skills and gain confidence in their abilities as they progress through the curriculum.

Now, with the Grasshopper Gallery, students can apply those skills to create visualizations, mini-games, web pages and more in the Gallery. In this free-form environment, students can start to build using their own imagination and creativity, an important transition for any beginner programmer.

An animation of Grasshopper Gallery on desktop

Showing off your creations 

Through the Gallery, students use code to build their own creations and share their masterpieces with friends, family, and more. Additionally, students can use the Gallery to build their own coding portfolio to showcase their abilities to potential employers or continuing education programs. 


With the launch of the Grasshopper Gallery, students can use skills learned from the core Grasshopper curriculum to build their own creations using code. As technical skills continue to become more important for employment, we will continue working to help adult beginners learn to code to pursue their career dreams. If you’re ready to start learning to code, Grasshopper is available on Android, iOS and desktop.

New ways to support Black-owned businesses

While working as an Entrepreneur-in-residence at Google from 2014 to 2016, I traveled across the country to help enhance the online presence of hundreds of Black-owned businesses. As a Black woman, entrepreneur and Googler, supporting Black-owned businesses and Black founders is my passion.


Over the past few months, we’ve seen a surge in online searches for Black-owned businesses. It’s been inspiring to witness so many people look for ways to invest in the Black community. Now, we’re announcing three new ways to help support Black business owners. 


Starting today, merchants in the U.S. with a verified Business Profile on Google can add a Black-owned business attribute to their profile, making it easier for customers to find and support them. As part of our $300 million commitment to support underrepresented entrepreneurs, we’re also integrating the attribute into the digital skills training programs we offer Black business owners through Grow with Google Digital Coaches. And through Google for Startups Accelerator for Black Founders, we’re starting our work with the first cohort of 12 startups. 

Making Search and Maps more inclusive

With this attribute, our goal is to make Search and Maps more inclusive and help support Black-owned businesses when they need it most. 

“Everyone who comes into this store is welcome,” says Janet Jones, founder and co-owner of the Detroit-based Source Booksellers. “For us, being Black-owned means serving the community we’re in.” 

By adding the attribute, people using Google Search and Maps can see Source Booksellers is Black-owned, and easily extend their support by purchasing one of their products, leaving a great review and sharing their Business Profile with others looking for their next book. 

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Identity attributes are featured on merchants' Business Profiles when they opt in

To help get the word out about the new Black-owned attribute, we’ve partnered with the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC). With 145 Black Chambers of Commerce and 326,000 members across the country, USBC provides leadership and advocacy to empower Black business owners through resources and initiatives. Together, Google and USBC will provide training for Black-owned businesses to enhance their presence on Google through the use of digital tools like Google My Business and Google Analytics. Our hope is that by partnering with USBC, we can help more businesses connect with their community and customers.

Reaching more businesses with digital skills training

We’re also adding the Black-owned business attribute to the training curriculum offered through the Grow with Google Digital Coaches program. Since 2017, Digital Coaches have offered free mentorship, networking, and workshop opportunities to Black and Latinx businesses in 11 cities across the U.S., including Atlanta, Chicago and Detroit. And the program is growing: Last month, we announced an expansion to Birmingham, Alabama, Memphis, Tennessee and Cleveland, Ohio, as well as a commitment to train more than 50,000 Black owned small businesses. 

Introducing the first class of Google for Startups Accelerator for Black Founders

Through Google for Startups, we’re also expanding ways to support Black entrepreneurs who are using technology to address so many of today’s biggest challenges. Today, we’re announcing the inaugural class of the Google for Startups Accelerator for Black Founders with 12 high potential Seed to Series A tech startups based in the U.S. 

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Inaugural class of the Google for Startups Accelerator for Black Founders

The class includes entrepreneurs like Guy Asaad, founder of Clerkie, a business designed to help Americans get out of debt. It also includes Melvin Hine, founder of Upswing, which is dedicated to improving the online education system, and Ashley Edwards, founder of MindRight Health which provides digital mental health services for young people. Starting next month, these 12 founders will receive training and support from Google and industry experts on technical challenges, business growth, and outside investment opportunities to help them reach the next level.

In my current role as the Head of Google for Startups in the U.S., I have the privilege of continuing to work with Black entrepreneurs. Today’s updates are a part of our company-wide effort to support Black-owned businesses through products and meaningful partnerships. It’s my hope that this attribute and Google’s tools and training can serve as additional resources for Black-owned businesses and the people who support them. 

Libraries help entrepreneurs write their next chapter

In our over 20 years working with small businesses, we’ve met countless entrepreneurs who have turned problems into opportunities. The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for small businesses, and we’re committed to finding new ways to support these problem-solvers who are the cornerstones of their communities. That’s why this year alone Google has committed over $300 million to support underrepresented entrepreneurs in the U.S. 

Thanks to a $2 million grant from Google.org, one of the ways we are supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs is through the work of local libraries. Today, as part of our longstanding support of the American Library Association (ALA), we’re announcing that 13 public libraries have been selected to form entrepreneurship centers across the country, focusing on low-income or underrepresented entrepreneurs. 

These libraries will provide virtual and in-person services including workshops such as Business 101, English as a Second Language (ESL), Web Design, Marketing and Accounting. They will also provide one-on-one coaching to small business owners, secure access to specialized equipment and technology, plus help with promotion and marketing assistance, research, and tasks like navigating legal and business licenses and requirements.

The Richland Library in Columbia, South Carolina, is a great example of a library that is making a difference with their Google.org funding. They’ve built a resource center for underrepresented entrepreneurs by offering peer support, training and resources for people at every stage of business development. They’ve recently opened an online hub which helps entrepreneurs and businesses access the resources they need to stay up and running during the pandemic. Richland’s innovative program, and those of the other grantees, will be used to create a playbook that any library anywhere will be able to use to build out their own small business recovery services.

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    Googler Andres Ramirez explains how to use free Google tools to reach customers online in Florida.

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    Participants introduce themselves before a Grow with Google workshop at the Long Branch Free Public Library in New Jersey.

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    Grow with Google trainer Angelina Darrisaw teaches digital skills to help small businesses grow in Mississippi.

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    Googler Madison Garver teaches digital skills during a one-on-one coaching session at the Boulder Public Library.

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    Grow with Google volunteers take a break from coaching to peruse their favorite books at the Burton Barr Central Library in Phoenix.

This effort builds on a long-running partnership with the ALA. In January 2019, we worked with the ALAto bring Grow with Google’s free digital skills workshops to libraries, and this investment helped people develop critical skills they need to find jobs and grow their businesses. During these workshops, we connected with small business owners who were facing a range of challenges. We also worked closely with librarians to train their staff on digital skills and equip them with new tools and resources to drive digital learning in their communities. Using free resources from our Grow with Google Partner Program, one librarian in Kentucky trained her staff as well as other librarians across the state. She’s not alone: Through our Partner Program more than 1,100 local libraries use our free content, handouts and resources to train people in their communities.

From small towns to big cities, almost every community across the country has a place you can go to get free information, internet access and digital skills training: the local library. Thanks to ongoing collaboration with the ALA and community partners across the country, we’re continuing to help local libraries provide critical skills training at a time when people need it most. If you are a small business owner interested in learning more about how to grow your business with help from Google and your local library, watch our virtual workshop, Build Your Online Presence with Google and Your Local Library, co-hosted with the ALA. Or check out our other free virtual workshops, events and one-on-one coaching sessions to get the most out of digital tools.

A new skills partnership for Singaporeans

Singaporeans have built one of the most competitive economies in the world. But right now, the country’s workers are facing a challenging outlook. There are fewer jobs available, while the jobs that are available require different skills. COVID-19 means more people are working from home, more roles are reliant on technology, and more small businesses are adopting digital tools—trends that we know will continue beyond the pandemic.  

Today, in partnership with several government agencies, we’re launching Skills Ignition SG: a Grow with Google program that will help 3,000 Singaporeans and permanent residents get the skills they need for changing technology and a shifting job market. 


Learning skills, building experience


Skills Ingition SG has two elements. One is a six-month vocational course for mid-career job seekers, designed to teach them skills in digital marketing and cloud technology and give them the chance to earn professional certificates recognised around the world. 


The second element is a ‘place and train’ program, where participants will do three months of online training before moving on to six months of work experience with employers. 

To kick off the placement program, we’ll be offering 100 Singaporeans work experience with Google, across a range of different roles. The remaining 500  placements will be offered in batches by our agency partners, including Dentsu Aegis Network, Publicis and Omnicom Media Group, and we’ve also secured commitments from Sephora, financial technology company FNZ, travel start-up RedDoorz and local furniture retailer Castlery. We’ll continue to open up new opportunities, and we’re asking more companies to join the program and create job placements in their own workforce.  

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For Google, Skills Ignition SG is the next step in our long-standing commitment to Singapore, a commitment we’re deepening in response to the pandemic. 

Empowering Singaporeans today, for tomorrow


In January, we renewed our Code in the Community program with the Infocomm Media Development Authority, bringing free coding classes to 6,700 students aged eight to 16, and in April, together with UOB, we expanded our SME Leadership Academy to help 4,000 small businesses from the retail, tourism and food and beverage sectors. We’re also working with nonprofits to support SMEs, seniors, migrant workers and the most disadvantaged in society. Over the past few months, we’ve given about US$760,000 in Google.org and data center grants to local charities and NGOs, as well as providing $1.6M in ads credits to small businesses and government agencies. 


Looking ahead, we feel a responsibility not just to help Singaporeans get through COVID-19, but to empower them for the longer term—so that when the job market recovers and opportunities are available, they have the ability to transition into new kinds of jobs. 


Singapore was the first office we opened in Southeast Asia, back in 2007. Today, it’s our headquarters in Asia Pacific, and a community we love being part of. We’re going to do all we can to help Singaporeans rebuild and emerge stronger from this crisis.


A digital jobs program to help America’s economic recovery

Technology has been a lifeline to help many small businesses during the COVID-19 crisis. And online tools can help people get new skills and find good-paying jobs. Nearly two-thirds of all new jobs created since 2010 require either high-level or medium-level digital skills. This presents a challenge for many job seekers, as well as to America’s long-term economic security. People need good jobs, and the broader economy needs their energy and skills to support our future growth. 


College degrees are out of reach for many Americans, and you shouldn’t need a college diploma to have economic security. We need new, accessible job-training solutions—from enhanced vocational programs to online education—to help America recover and rebuild.


Our Grow with Google initiative helps people get the skills they need to get a job or grow their business.  Today we’re announcing a new suite of Google Career Certificates that will help Americans get qualifications in high-paying high-growth job fields—no college degree required. We will fund 100,000 need-based scholarships and at Google we will consider our new career certificates as the equivalent of a four-year degree for related roles.  We’re also committing $10 million in job training Google.org grants for communities across America, working with partners like YWCA, NPower and JFF. 


Here are more details on today’s announcements: 


  • Three newGoogle Career Certificates in the high-paying, high-growth career fields of Data Analytics, Project Management, and User Experience (UX) Design. Like our IT Support and Automation in Python Certificates, these new career programs are designed and taught by Google employees who work in these fields. The programs equip participants with the essential skills they need to get a job. No degree or prior experience is required to take the courses. 

  • 100,000 need-based scholarships, funded by Google, to complete any of these career certificates. 

  • An expansion of our IT Certificate Employer Consortium, which currently includes over 50 employers like Walmart, Hulu, Sprint and of course Google.

  • Hundreds of apprenticeship opportunities at Google for people completing these career certificate programs to provide real on-the-job training.

  • The Google Career Certificates in Career and Technical Education high schools throughout America, starting with our IT Support Certificate this Fall. These certificates build on our established partnership with more than 100 community colleges. 

  • $10 million in Google.org grants to the YWCA, NPower and JFF to help workforce boards and nonprofits improve their job training programs and increase access to digital skills for women, veterans, and underserved Americans. As part of our Future of Work initiative, since 2017 Google.orghas provided over $200 million in grants to nonprofits working to promote economic opportunity. 


The new Google Career Certificates build on our existing programs to create pathways into IT Support careers for people without college degrees. Launched in 2018, the Google IT Certificate program has become the single most popular certificate on Coursera, and thousands of people have found new jobs and increased their earnings after completing the course. Take Yves Cooper, who enrolled in the program through our Grow with Google Partner, Merit America, while working as a van driver. Within five days of completing the program, he was offered a role as an IT helpdesk technician at a nonprofit in his hometown of Washington, D.C. We’re especially proud that the Google IT Certificate provides a pathway to jobs for groups that are underrepresented in the tech industry: 58 percent of IT Certificate learners identify as Black, Latino, female or veteran. 

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Yves Cooper was offered a role as an IT helpdesk technician at a nonprofit after completing the Google IT Certificate program.

As America rebuilds our local communities, it’s important to start with the people that give them life. Since 2017, we’ve helped 5 million Americans learn digital skills through Grow with Google and we promise to do our part to help even more people prepare for jobs, creating economic opportunity for everyone.

Free tools and training to help with economic recovery in Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Through lockdown, many of us found that online tools have been a real lifeline. We’ve used them to find information and stay connected with our communities, support local businesses, teach our children and learn new skills ourselves. The same tools will be vital in helping countries recover more quickly and more sustainably. 

That’s why Google is making a new pledge to help 10 million people and businesses in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) find jobs, digitize and grow over the next 18 months.

Helping people learn new skills and find new jobs

Long before the coronavirus, it was clear the jobs of the future would require a new set of digital skills, so we launched Grow with Google to help people learn new skills. We were blown away by the demand, and by what people went on to achieve, and in five years we’ve trained over 14 million people in EMEA and 70 million around the world.

We’ve seen a tripling of demand for this training during lockdown. To help even more families, communities and businesses recover faster, we’re investing in new, targeted programs. For example, we will be covering the costs for 100,000 people to take the Google IT Support Professional Certificatewhich prepares people for a career in IT. Fifty thousand of these places are reserved for under-served groups who otherwise face real barriers to learning (such as language, caring responsibilities or financial difficulty). Google.org will fund local nonprofits to provide the tailored support these people require to successfully complete the course.

To help people find new job opportunities, we’ll launch our job search tool in more countries in EMEA. We are testing new features for the recovery—such as helping you find jobs that let you work from home. Job search is built in partnership with job boards, local employment agencies and others, like Pôle Emploi in France, Bayt.com in the Middle East and Monster.de in Germany, and it also helps them by finding job seekers with the right skills faster.

We’ve learned over the last five years that we need to do more to reach those whose existing jobs are most at risk of disruption by new technology. Two years ago, we allocated 100m in Google.org grants, to be disbursed over five years to organisations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa that focus on digital skills and economic opportunity. Today, we're announcing that $15m of that funding will go to non-profits that help workers and small business owners who are technologically, financially or socially excluded with critical digital skills and access to jobs.

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Helping local businesses get online and find more customers

As we come out of lockdown, and consumer spending picks up, we’re upgrading our tools  to help more local businesses find and connect with customers quickly. Through Google my Business, it’s easier for businesses to share their latest opening hours and information across Google Search and Maps. They can also shift quickly to new services and business models, such as pick-up, delivery and online classes and appointments. 


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We are also investing in new programs to help industries hardest hit by the pandemic, including retail and travel. 

For retail businesses, online demand has grown exponentially, so they need to provide a great customer experience to be competitive. The improved version of Grow My Store helps local businesses improve digital shopping, grow customer traffic and optimize online stores. Reaching new audiences by exporting abroad should be an easy option for every business regardless of size. 

Our Market Finder tool now provides export marketing and logistics help in light of COVID-19. To help retailers understand changes in demand, we’re releasing a new interactive tool that shares insights on fast-rising retail categories in Google Search, where in the world searches are growing, and the queries associated with them.

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For the travel industry, we’re partnering with experts like the UN World Tourism Organisation to launch training to help tourism officials across Europe, the Middle East and Africa understand and use the range of digital tools to attract travellers. This builds on our efforts to support tourism businesses across the region to help them grow with digital tools, get access to training and digitize heritage. 

Helping businesses work more efficiently and think differently

The crisis has accelerated trends that we’d expected to see over a longer period of time, like the use of AI and automation to help grow sales, reduce costs, and make better decisions. Research suggests that the European companies using AI most extensively are likely to grow three times faster than the average firm over the next 15 years, adding €2.7 trillion, or 19 percent, to European output by 2030.

To make this accessible for every business, we’re launching our AI for business tool to small and medium businesses in Europe. The tool, in English, with more languages to follow this year, provides businesses with a personalised report recommending the most relevant applications of AI and the potential benefits, along with practical suggestions on how to get started. This is part of our commitment to build trust in AI through responsible innovation and thoughtful regulation, so that European citizens can safely enjoy the full social and economic benefits of AI. 

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Financial support for local businesses

A digital transition cannot rely on technology alone: businesses need financial resources as well. That’s why we announced grants and ad credits for local businesses a few weeks ago. And we’ve recently launched the ability for businesses in 19 European countries to add support links on Google My Business to give their communities the option to support them with donations and gift cards. We have also added several new partners to enable gift cards, including SumUp, LaFourchette, OptioPay, Rise.ai, and Atento. 

We remain fundamentally optimistic about the future, and about the role technology can play, and we’re working with governments to help people, businesses and communities. Online tools, which have been a lifeline for many of us in lockdown, are now helping people find jobs and learn in-demand skills. If we work together, technology can be a lifeline for everyone as Europe, the Middle East and Africa look ahead to a sustainable recovery for everyone.

To find out more about these tools and programs, visit g.co/grow.

Helping small businesses get access to capital

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been actively working on ways to support communities and small businesses in the United States and around the world. In March, we announced the $125 million Grow with Google Small Business Fund as one way to offer support. Through a partnership with Opportunity Finance Network (OFN), the fund provides low-interest loans to community development financial institutions (CDFI), who in turn provide loans to small businesses in underserved communities in the U.S. Google.org also made a $5 million grant to OFN to further support CDFIs as they grow their capital and build their capacity during this time of crisis. 

Earlier today, as part of our effort to support the Black community, our CEO Sundar Pichai announced that we are expanding the program by adding $45 million in loans to the fund and $5 million in Google.org grants to OFN, with a specific focus on Black communities. This brings Google’s total support for CDFIs and the small businesses they serve to $170 million in loans and $10 million in Google.org grants.

Today we’re announcing the first five CDFIs, which will receive a total of $15.5 million in financing from OFN. They will provide loans to small businesses to help them make rent, pay their employees and continue to serve their customers. This financing will enable OFN’s member CDFIs to improve access to capital for some of the most underserved small businesses: those owned by women and minorities. In addition, six CDFIs will each receive a $125,000 from OFN, made from the grant funds provided by Google.org.

Here are the CDFIs which will receive the first round of funding.

  • Grameen America ($5 million loan, $125,000 grant): With 23 branches across 15 cities, Grameen America focuses exclusively on providing loans to U.S. microenterprises owned by low-income women.

  • MoFi ($3 million loan): By providing financing and consulting, MoFi reaches small business owners across Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. 

  • Opportunity Fund($5 million loan, $125,000 grant): Based in California, Opportunity Fund provides loans to small businesses throughout the U.S., focusing on minority-, women- and immigrant-owned businesses.

  • PeopleFund ($1.5 million loan, $125,000 grant): Operating across Texas, PeopleFund provides small-business loans, as well as business assistance and education, to people with otherwise limited access to such resources. 

  • Citizens Potawatomi Community Development Corporation (CPCDC)($1 million loan, $125,000 grant): One of the largest Native-owned CDFIs in the nation, CPCDC provides financial education, access to capital, business development services and community development initiatives to the Citizen Potawatomi National Tribal Community and other underserved Native populations. 

  • Pacific Community Ventures (PCV) ($125,000 grant): Based in California and supporting small businesses throughout the U.S., PCV’s integrated model provides diverse small businesses with affordable capital, free mentoring, impact evaluation and research.

  • Washington Area Community Investment Fund (Wacif) ($125,000 grant): Wacif increases equity and economic opportunity in underserved communities by investing in low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs with a focus on minority- and women-owned businesses in financially underserved communities east of the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. and in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Although most CDFIs are not household names, they play a vital role for small businesses throughout the U.S., many of whom are overlooked by traditional lenders. According to OFN’s 2018 Member Survey, their over 300 member CDFIs serve 58 percent people of color, 85 percent people with low incomes, 26 percent people who live in rural areas, and 48 percent women. 

Since announcing the Grow with Google Small Business Fund, we’ve worked hand-in-hand with OFN to create a holistic program that includes low-interest loans, funding for cash grants, Ad Grants and digital skills training through Grow with Google, our economic opportunity initiative. Over the next year, Google and OFN will continue to work together to underwrite and fund loans to additional CDFIs, which will then lend to thousands of small businesses. Through this partnership and program, we hope we can do our part to make sure small businesses remain the heart of the U.S. economy.

Five women, five inspirational stories

Last August, Tan Thi Shu walked onto the stage of the Hanoi Opera House and told her story. Part of Vietnam’s minority Hmong tribe, she’s the founder of Sapa O’Chau: a trekking company that offers tours of the beautiful Sapa region. After initially struggling to find people interested in her service, Shu took Google’s Digital 4.0 training, moved her venture online, and saw business increase, creating income for her local community. Now she’s a trainer herself, passing on the lessons she’s learned to other female entrepreneurs. As Shu says: “One person gives only one result, but if I take someone with me, much more happens."

Shu isn’t just inspiring her fellow Vietnamese entrepreneurs. She’s one of five equally remarkable women whose stories are being shared globally by TED and Women Will, a Grow with Google program that trains women in 48 countries.

Along with Shu Tan, TED’s Pindrop podcast will showcase: 


  • Jenny Doan from the United States, who found an online audience for her quilting tutorials, helping expand her business and the jobs it supports. 

  • Temie Giwa-Tubosun from Nigeria, whose LifeBank nonprofit has decreased delivery time for blood supplies from 24 hours to less than 45 minutes.

  • Renata Alexandra from Brazil, who became the first Krav Maga women instructor in the northeast of the country, and now teaches personal defense to other women.

  • Hatoon Kadi, from Saudi Arabia, who launched a comedy video series called Noon Al Niswa, addressing social issues and encouraging other Arab women to share their stories and experiences.

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Supporting women affected by COVID-19

Since its formation in 2014, Women Will and its partners have advocated for more flexible and gender-balanced workplacesand reached more than 36 million women with training.


Today, we’re making Women Will’s programs part of Google’s broader response to COVID-19—moving much of our training online. We’re offering mentoring to small businesses in Brazil, using the internet saathi (or trainer) network to get health information to women in rural India, and expanding our online entrepreneurship and leadership courses. 


We know many women will be disproportionately affected by the impact of the virus, and we want to help them adapt with digital skills and tools. We’ll keep building on these programs in the months ahead, through the recovery from COVID-19 and beyond—so more women like Shu, Hatoon, Renata, Temie and Jenny can thrive, share their experiences, and widen the path for others.

Protecting Europe’s workers: The urgent need for skills

In recent years, new technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics have helped companies increase efficiency and productivity and become more competitive on the global stage. But with these technological advances come challenges for governments and employers: in the short term, technology can fundamentally change the way people work, and in the long term it can displace some jobs altogether. With the additional upheaval of jobs markets as a result of the pandemic, it’s imperative that skills programs are targeted at those most at risk of displacement. 


Governments around the world, including the European Commission, are gearing up for these challenges and initiating programs to re-train their workforces. Over many years, Google has sought to play its part by building products that help European businesses grow and helping over seven million people all over Europe learn new digital skills. 

How will the future work?

We recently collaborated with the McKinsey Global Institute on new research looking at the impact of automation on jobs in almost 1,100 regional labor markets in Europe over the next ten years. The research estimates that, even accounting for expected job losses, Europe may still have a shortage of workers rather than a shortage of jobs in 2030. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the research suggested that the shortfall could be as high as 6 million workers, although that may now be lower. To put it another way, automation in Europe is not the threat to jobs that some people fear.

However, these opportunities are not spread equally across Europe, and there’s a clear gap between the requirements of these future jobs and the skills people currently have. Some jobs will be lost, and people will need new skills to succeed in new types of work. Alongside this, COVID-19 is also having a major impact, accelerating trends that we expected to see over a longer period of time. 

Unlike most prior research about the future of work, which was conducted at a national level, this report puts regions front and centre. Towns like Mannheim and Montpellier, or Dobrich and Douro, are more similar to each other than they are to the rest of their own countries, when it comes to the impact of automation. You can see those similarities clearly in this interactive map that we launched today. 

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The map is a companion to the McKinsey Global Insititute report, showing the types of jobs that will be growing and declining across Europe’s diverse regions over the next ten years. It’s also a clear illustration of the importance of tailoring skills and training programs to the needs and opportunities of individual European regions, sectors and communities.

What’s next? 

That’s certainly been our experience: we’ve seen that training is only successful if you open it up to everyone, and especially to those most at risk of job displacement, who too often don’t have the opportunity or means to learn new skills, and may live in lower-growth regions. That’s why we’ve developed partnerships with experts to help reach underserved groups, including working with organisations toreach trade unions and workers in the transport and logistics sector, developing programs to helpwomen build confidence in their leadership skills, and funding nonprofits to provide critical services forunderserved small businesses.

The jobs market turmoil caused by the pandemic has made reskilling even more urgent. During the first few weeks of lockdown, we saw a 300 percent increase in the number of people taking our free Grow with Google training courses. Significantly, McKinsey Global Insititue conducted its research shortly before the COVID-19 crisis began, but analysis of more recent data shows a significant overlap between the jobs at risk in the next ten years and those at risk now. 

Every day, we work with European entrepreneurs and businesses to help them grow. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve increased our support by providing funding, tools and programs to help workers and businesses recover faster from the crisis, and help people stay safe, informed and connected. Along with increasing private investment from companies like ours, we call on governments to create the right environments to help citizens learn the skills that are required for the jobs of the future. It’s up to all of us—governments, companies and citizens—to make sure all European regions thrive and the benefits of automation reach everyone.

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Below are some of the key findings from the research and you can read McKinsey’s full report here.

Reskilling is paramount  

  • More than 90 million workers may need to develop significant new skills within their current roles, while up to 21 million may have to leave declining occupations.
  • Automation will affect sectors and occupations differently, with office work, manufacturing, agriculture and construction presenting some of the highest displacement rates. 
  • Europe may still have a shortage of workers rather than a shortage of jobs in 2030, with growth predicted in healthcare, STEM-related sectors and creative and arts industries. So while tech aptitude is an asset, it’s not everything: Europeans will spend 30 percent more time doing work related to social and emotional skills. 

The impact on labour markets will vary across countries and regions 

  • Our research revealed 13 types of regional clusters across Europe. From superstar hubs that drive change and attract worldwide talent to regions supported by public investment, these profiles reveal the continent in a new light. 
  • High-tech jobs will be a major growth area: jobs in science and engineering will grow by 40 percent in megacities like London and Paris, 35 percent in superstar hubs like Geneva and Stockholm, and 30 percent in service-based economies like Manchester and Budapest. 
  • Even before the crisis, remote work has grown steadily since 2007: around 19 percent of German and 14 percent of French workers sometimes or usually work from home. However, this growth has been concentrated in urban areas, and not in the declining regions that don’t have enough jobs.

Read the full report on McKinsey’s site here and visit our interactive map. Google wants to play its part to accelerate Europe's economic recovery through our technology, tools and training and help all Europeans benefit from long term technological advances.