Google wants to help people survive the future of work. Source: Shutterstock

Google wants to help you survive the age of automation

GOOGLE knows very well that as workplaces get more autonomous, the jobs of thousands of rank-and-file employees would be at risk. In order to prevent the likelihood of human workers finding themselves out of work because machines have taken over their jobs, the search giant has come up with an interesting idea – why not teach workers and job seekers some new useful skills for the age of automation?

Last October, Google CEO Sundar Pichai officially announced the launch of “Grow with Google”, a multi-pronged initiative that is aimed at providing education and training for trades that would be valuable in the post-automation age.

In a statement, the Google CEO said that the Grow with Google program is primarily aimed at giving workers some valuable computer and entrepreneurial skills. The CEO further asserted that giving entrepreneurs the necessary technical know-how and a stable platform to grow their business is something that would help many small enterprises.

“We’ll provide career advice and training for people and businesses, including helping small businesses get online,” said Pichai. 

The Grow with Google initiative is comprised of many branches. According to the official Grow with Google website, the initiative has specific programs for teachers and students, local SMEs, startups and job seekers. Each of these programs is launched in partnership with several noted education firms, such as Udacity and Coursera.

What’s particularly interesting about the Grow with Google program, however, is the fact that it is completely free of charge. As noted in an Element14 report, Google is even sponsoring 50,000 scholarships with Udacity for Android and web development courses.

sundar pichai

Google Inc CEO Sundar Pichai speaks during a launch event in San Francisco, California, U.S. October 4, 2017. REUTERS/Stephen Lam

Overall, the Grow with Google program is a valuable resource that could easily be used by anyone who is interested in expanding their skills and technical knowledge. Unfortunately, the Grow with Google initiative, at least in its current iteration, is only available for residents in the United States.

Those living outside the US need not fret, however, as the search giant is also investing US$1 billion in grants to nonprofit organizations across the globe. According to Google, this massive funding is being given in order to help train workers and job seekers for the “changing nature of work.”

Considering the current pace of development in consumer and business technologies, there is little doubt that the workplace would eventually get more and more automated. With programs such as Grow with Google, even aspiring tech workers with a degree in unrelated fields could dip their toes into the fast-paced, progressive world of IT.

While the Grow with Google initiative provides an invaluable resource for workers and businesses, however, it is important to note that the program is not a magic bullet that would automatically grant anyone with a sure-fire job once workplace automation hits its full stride.

Nevertheless, it still gives every worker or aspiring entrepreneur a fighting chance in the emerging automation-focused workplace.