Inspiring the next generation of cloud professionals with Google’s Career Readiness Program

Like many states across the U.S., Kentucky experienced significant job shortages when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in spring of 2020. In the first four months of the pandemic alone, Kentucky’s workforce shrank by 112,000. Cloud computing talent gaps in the state have been particularly acute - with more than 1,000 open cloud roles in 2022 according to Lightcast.¹

Google Cloud and the University of Louisville aim to address the cloud workforce shortage and place Kentucky students on a path toward long-term, higher-paying jobs. Google Cloud is awarding scholarships to its Career Readiness program, which provides on-demand training for three learning paths in cloud digital leader, associate cloud engineering, and data analytics. Participants learn at their own pace on the interactive learning platform, Google Cloud Skills Boost, and are eligible for discounted access to the related Google Cloud certification exams. Of those who have completed Google Cloud training and certification in the past - 86% feel their resume is more attractive and 79% feel more confident in their future careers.²

This program will be administered from the University of Louisville’s Digital Transformation Center, which empowers the future of learning, research, and technology across the university. The center will oversee multiple cohorts of students as they progress through the program, providing wraparound support like regular open study sessions. “It is important for our students to obtain and develop real-world workforce skills and experiences,” says Ashley Triplett, innovation and training strategist at the University of Louisville. 

“By participating in this program, students are acquiring important cloud and digital literacy skills. This is the kind of momentum that the Digital Transformation Center wants to bring to the University of Louisville, and we are doing it one student at a time,”said Ashley Triplett.

To officially kick off the partnership, Google Cloud participated in the University of Louisville’s Taste of Technology roundtable, an event designed to introduce students and faculty members to technology resources and career paths. 

The first cohort of 50 students includes Woodford R. Porter Scholarship recipients, a scholarship program created in 1984 to award  high-performing students who exhibit a strong aspiration to success and give back to the community.   A second cohort of students is planned for January. 

For further reading, see BlueSky Tennesssee Training Students.

Learn more about bringing the Google Cloud Career Readiness Program to your college or university here.

<sub>1. Labor Market Data from Lightcast
2. Percentages indicate those who strongly or somewhat agree with the statement. Findings are from a survey conducted with Google Cloud certified individuals in May 2019 by an independent third-party research organization.</sub>