May 28, 2026
SIU Carbondale, SIU System, partner with Google to provide free training
As part of a systemwide initiative to partner with Google and the National Association of Higher Education Systems, SIU Carbondale is now offering learners on campus and in the local community an opportunity to earn Google Career Certificates.
The Grow with Google (GwG) program provides curated virtual coursework for professional-level certificates and specializations aimed at today’s in-demand technology and business skill sets. All of the coursework is through the Coursera Learning platform and provided at no cost.
“This partnership reflects our commitment to expanding access to high-quality, career-aligned learning that meets the evolving needs of students, faculty, staff, and employers. These certificates provide flexible, industry-recognized pathways that help learners build in-demand skills while strengthening the regional workforce,” said Gireesh Gupchup, the SIU System vice president for academic innovation, planning and partnerships. “By offering these opportunities across the SIU System, we are connecting education directly to economic growth and ensuring that SIU graduates and our communities are prepared for the future.”
Google Career Certificates are industry-recognized credentials that equip learners with job-ready skills in high-demand fields such as cybersecurity, data analytics, business intelligence, people management, user experience (UX), and digital marketing and e-commerce. These self-paced learning opportunities typically take three to six months to complete and earn a professionally recognized certificate in a specific area of study.
Google’s most recent addition to the program is a substantially shorter (10-15 hours), high-demand program: Google AI Professional Certificate. Research from Ipsos and Google reveals that while 70% of managers believe an artificial intelligence-trained workforce is critical for success, only 5% of the workforce is considered “AI fluent.” The coursework assembled for this certificate directly addresses that need (as do the other certificate programs listed above).
The GwG initiative offers learners the flexibility and convenience that comes with on-demand access to these virtual courses. GwG’s self-paced programs allow learners to earn a certificate in 130-160 hours, and to complete shorter, topic-focused specializations in approximately 30 hours. No prior experience or degree is needed to start and successfully complete any of the GwG certificates.
“GwG at SIU Carbondale is a win for everyone — students, alumni, employees, employers, and our wider community. This program has the very real potential to strengthen each learner’s employability and promotability in a very short time. This in turn, increases the talent pipeline that keeps our region moving forward,” says Olinda McKaughn, who is leading the program at SIU Carbondale.
GwG offers SIU Carbondale faculty and staff an opportunity to enrich their technical knowledge, develop targeted skills, and/or attain professional credentials. Faculty can also guide students toward content and exercises from these professional-level courses to complement their academic course work and/or to earn professional certificates to complement their degree.
Similarly, as part of this program, local employers, community organizations, and K-12 schools can partner with SIU Carbondale to offer GwG content and the associated credentials to their people. SIU Carbondale is collaborating with regional school systems to use GwG programing to cover professional development requirements at no cost.
Faculty, employers, community organizations, and school systems that are interested in incorporating GwG learning programs can learn more at SIU Carbondale’s Grow with Google website. Staff, students, and individual learners can request a license by completing the GWG registration form.
The program is currently scheduled to be active through Dec. 31, 2027.