AI and digital skills are essential for the workforce of today and the future. Yet nearly 70% of college graduates say they need more training on how to use new technologies and a majority of employers believe job candidates and employees should have foundational knowledge of generative AI tools. 1
With this in mind, we’re launching a new partnership with the University of Michigan to provide access to Google’s AI training courses and Google Career Certificates to students across all of their campuses at no cost.
Expanding access to in-demand skills
This partnership makes Google Career Certificates available at no cost to more than 66,000 University of Michigan students through Michigan Online, the university’s platform for digital learning opportunities. Students will gain access to industry-recognized credentials in high-demand fields including cybersecurity, data analytics, digital marketing and e-commerce, IT support, UX design and project management.
Students will also receive access to Google AI Essentials and Google Prompting Essentials. These courses teach foundational AI skills, best practices and how to use AI responsibly – critical for today’s rapidly evolving job market. As an employer in Michigan with an office in Ann Arbor for nearly two decades, we’re excited to work with the University of Michigan to enable its students to pursue their careers with the skills employers are looking for that will help them succeed. These trainings will complement access U-M faculty and students already have to AI tools like Gemini and NotebookLM.
Building our partnership with the Center for Academic Innovation
This initiative builds on our previous collaboration with the Center for Academic Innovation, which created “Data Analytics in the Public Sector with R,” a specialized course series developed by University of Michigan faculty to complement Google’s Data Analytics Certificate. This course series provides learners with applied data analytics skills specifically relevant to careers in the public sector.
Students who complete the Google Career Certificates will have access to our employer consortium with more than 150 large national employers who are interested in hiring our certificate graduates for relevant roles; including Michigan-based employers like Ford, Rocket Companies and of course Google. More than 1 million people globally have graduated from the Google Career Certificate program and 70%+ of certificate graduates report a positive career outcome (e.g., new job, promo or raise) within six months of completion. 2
University of Michigan students can access these opportunities by visiting Michigan Online and enrolling with their university credentials.
