Google, SHRM Foundation Partner to Connect Untapped Talent with Tech Jobs and Digital Skills

Alexandria, VA, December 2, 2020—Today, Google and the SHRM Foundation announced a partnership committed to connecting diverse tech talent with opportunities at major companies across the United States. Through promotion of Google's Career Certificates for jobseekers, and its hiring consortium of employers, SHRM Foundation and Google hope to empower HR professionals with programs that create economic opportunity, promote inclusive hiring practices, and provide essential digital skills training.

The partnership emerged as both companies recognized a common, timely cause: creating a better, more equitable world, through positive, inclusive changes in the workplace. For example, Google's Career Certificates not only give jobseekers the skills they need to start or advance their career in high-demand fields (IT Support, User Experience Design, Data Analytics and Project Management) they also connect them with employers needing more diverse talent. The Google Certificates are available on the Coursera online learning platform and no experience is required to enroll. The program also prioritizes the development and recruitment of talent from untapped talent pools. 

Beyond supporting jobseekers, the program also includes a hiring consortium of more than 100 companies, such as Walmart, Hulu, T-Mobile, Cleveland Clinic and Google. Participation, open to all companies regardless of size, helps employers easily identify high-skill, diverse talent by providing access to an inclusive talent pipeline and recruiting resources. 

"The SHRM Foundation is thrilled about this promising partnership with Google," said Wendi Safstrom, executive director of SHRM Foundation. "All at once, our approach tackles two of the greatest challenges confronting the world of work: Racial inequity and the skills gap. These problems are, by no means, simple to solve. But, by paving pathways for all workers to find new skills and opportunities, and by helping employers tap into this diverse pipeline, I believe together we can make a meaningful difference."

"We've worked with top employers in each of our Career Certificate fields to ensure that the skills we are teaching are aligned to the jobs employers want to fill. Google has been so pleased with the Career Certificate graduates we have hired and we're excited that so many top employers are signing up to recruit these graduates as well," said Lisa Gevelber, Vice President, Grow with Google. "We're proud to work with SHRM to help diverse job seekers connect to open roles at companies across the U.S."

Media: Contact Julie.Hirschhorn@SHRM.org to schedule an interview.

About The SHRM Foundation

Founded in 1966 as the philanthropic arm of SHRM, the SHRM Foundation inspires and empowers HR professionals to unlock human potential and lead social change in the workplace and beyond.  Its purpose is to elevate and empower HR and the generosity of donors to lead positive social change impacting work, workers and the workplace because our vision is to be a world of work that works for all.  The SHRM Foundation's robust and relevant programming, resources and meaningful partnerships, along with evidence-based research, educate and train HR professionals to hire diverse talent, build inclusive workplaces and help employees find purpose at work and beyond.