Google.org Pledges $50 Million to Prepare Future Job Seekers
Google’s philanthropic arm announced a $50 million two-year initiative to help prepare workers for what they call the “changing nature of work.”
Google.org president Jacquelline Fuller outlined the search giant’s new efforts to fund nonprofits focused on improving job quality, job matching between seekers and employers, and skill building within an evolving job market.
“We want to make sure that as many people as possible can make the most of the new jobs, industries and opportunities that are emerging—some of which we couldn’t have imagined just a few years ago,” said Fuller in a blog post.
The grant money will also extend to funding research to better understand what kind of training is the most valuable for 21st century jobs.
“Millions are spent each year on work skills and technical training programs, but there isn’t much visibility into how these programs compare, or if the skills being taught truly match what will be needed in the future,” she said.
The initiative gave its first grants to three US-based nonprofits–Social Finance, National Domestic Workers Alliance and Code for America–and France’s Bayes Impact. Fuller said Google.org plans to expand funding to other regions soon.
Today’s announcement brings Google’s philanthropic efforts to support education and economic opportunity to $100 million–the company’s largest giving initiative to date. In March, Google.org announced $50 million in new funding for nonprofits working towards closing global education gaps.
