This week, five local colleges announced their participation in a Google initiative designed to help Latino students prepare to enter the workforce.
The Grow with Google HSI Career Readiness Program will offer digital skills and career workshops for some 200,000 Latino students nationwide by 2025. The program is sponsored through Google's $2 million investment in the Hispanic Association of Community Colleges and Universities. Local colleges participating in the program are San Antonio College, the University of Texas at San Antonio, St. Philip's College, Palo Alto College and Northeast Lakeview College.
The program will also provide $5 million in grants to three workforce organizations: UnidosUS, the Hispanic Federation and the League of United Latin American Citizens.
Grow with Google began in 2017 and provides free training and tools for small-business owners, veterans and military families, students, educators and startups. It has more than 8,000 partners and has helped 7 million Americans learn new job skills.
The San Antonio-based Hispanic Association of Community Colleges and Universities was founded in 1986 and represents more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States, Latin America and Spain.
More than 80% of U.S. jobs require digital skills but 55% of Latino individuals have little to no digital skills training, according to a study by National Skills Coalition cited by Google in a news release. That demographic is also at heightened risk of losing jobs due to companies shifting to automation.
San Antonio College President Dr. Robert Vela said, "Combined with ongoing career and first-year experience programming, this investment in our students will provide learning and career pathways to help our students succeed in their chosen fields of study and in their future careers."
St. Philip's College President Dr. Adena Williams Loston said the grant will provide students with tools to build skills vital to the workplace like critical thinking, professional speaking, writing, leadership and intercultural fluency. And, she added, the program will help Latino graduates transition from the classroom to high-wage and high-skilled positions that will support San Antonio's regional growth.
Dr. Robert Garza, president of Palo Alto College, said that Palo Alto is one of five colleges in the Alamo Colleges District that has heavily served the Southside community to empower Latino students for leadership and success.
"Partnering with Grow With Google is another innovative collaboration that allows us to continue providing students with development opportunities, professional brand training, and digital skills needed to excel in the future workforce," he said.
