Google Pledges USD740M in Australia’s Digital Future Initiative
- By CDOTrends editors
- May 04, 2022
Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Chargé d’Affaires Mike Goldman from the U.S. Embassy, and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) CEO Larry Marshall launched together the Digital Future Initiative to support new jobs, drive innovation, and give Australians the needed tools for a digital future.
The Digital Future Initiative is a USD740 million, five-year commitment to Australia, focused on three major areas: strengthening digital infrastructure, including cloud computing, developing Australian technology and talent, and solving global and local challenges.
Under the initiative, every Australian is expected to have access to technology and the skills to use it, vital services are widely available online, and Australian businesses and entrepreneurs will grow the economy.
"Australia has helped shape Google itself, from early work on Google Maps to progress on Chromebooks, Photos, Payments, and Fitbit today," Pichai said during the announcement."
"We believe a strong digital future is one where everyone has access to technology and the skills to use it, where the internet economy fulfills its immense potential, and Australia’s long tradition of innovation can grow and thrive," he further added.
Building a digital future through education
The challenge with building a digital future is a skills gap and tech talent shortages in the tech industry. A recent Google report found that 70% of IT leaders find hiring difficult, with cloud talent being the hardest to find.
Google launched the Cloud Career Readiness Program to address this workforce concern, which aims to train more than 40 million people globally on Google Cloud skills.
The Google Cloud Career Readiness Program in Australia is a 16-week on-demand program delivered by universities and TAFE that enables higher education students from all backgrounds to prepare for a cloud-first workplace through industry-recognized training, skill badges, and certifications.
The program enables students to build their skills in cloud computing by working hands-on in labs and by gaining an understanding of infrastructure and data analytics.
The Google Cloud Career Readiness Program offers:
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Associate Cloud Engineer track: This track was designed for students who hope to pursue careers in engineering and management jobs related to cloud infrastructure, cloud-native application development, and data engineering.
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Data Analyst track: This track is recommended for students interested in business intelligence, data analysis, and statistics.
By working closely with higher education institutions, Google Australia hopes to fast-track training and certifications to have more cloud-native engineers ready and able for a digital future.