Google invests in the digital future of Peru with five thousand scholarships for courses in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and more

“This program is part of the commitment that the company made with Latin America to promote technology and, above all, the skills that are in high demand in the region,” he indicated in conversation with Trade the director of Google Peru and Chile, Edgardo Frías. “The program begins with a scholarship, but obviously upon completing the completed courses they become a career certificate that grants Google.”

“The big goal of this is to give people the opportunity to have a positive impact on their lives. New possibilities, new salaries, career growth or, why not, complete new developments. Someone can even change careers to learn something new,” she stated.

For the executive, rapid technological transformation such as the developments of artificial intelligence have caused rapid evolution not only in society, but also in business. However, our region suffers from a major problem in taking advantage of this trend: the lack of qualified capacity. This is where scholarships come in.

“Many companies have a hard time finding talent. So, what better way than to contribute than to start generating new talent, which can face the new challenges and this evolution that companies are having to integrate these technologies that increasingly make them more efficient and that even allows them to open. new business gaps,” he considered.

Bridging the gender gap

It is not the only purpose of the program, which also seeks to reduce one of the largest gaps in the technology sector, gender inequality, with a 2021 Inter-American Development Bank study indicating that only 25% of jobs in the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector are occupied by women. Thus, for the delivery of the scholarships, Google partnered with Women In Tech, an organization that seeks equality in the digital sectors

“It is also a way to contribute to the integration of more female talent into this type of careers and to begin developing them in the technology sector,” said Frías.

What scholarships do you offer?

There are six different certificates that can be taken flexibly from 3 to 6 months, dedicating approximately 10 hours per week. The available courses are:

• Cybersecurity
• Data Analytics
• Digital Marketing and Electronic Commerce
• IT Support
• Project management
• UX Design

These programs will be available on the online learning platform Coursera, so those enrolled will be able to take the course at their own pace, 100% online.

For Edgardo Frías, the results of the program in the region are already evident. “We have a little more than 50 thousand graduates in the region and the vast majority, I’m talking more than 75%, have already seen a very positive impact on their careers such as promotions, salary increases, new jobs and opportunities,” he revealed. .

This year Google It will also include a new course on Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence, where company experts will impart knowledge about this technology that will be crucial for the development of the region. In this regard, Frías mentioned the Google study “AI Sprinters”, which highlights the enormous impact that this technology can have on developing societies to help them take a leap forward.

“It’s like taking advantage of other countries. What took them years to develop, we can take that learning to do now,” said the executive. “We are convinced that technology will help us democratize the use of information, but also education. And that is 100% part of Google’s mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally useful for everyone.”

Requirements

The only requirements to apply for the scholarships are be over 18 years old and a resident of Peru. It is not necessary to have previous training or experience.

Women in Tech will be in charge of selecting the scholarship recipients and the allocation of scholarships will be prioritized to those who belong to underrepresented groups, as well as people who are unemployed or have informal jobs.

The registration process will begin on May 24 and the scholarships will be awarded so that the beneficiaries can begin their studies on June 17. Interested parties can register here.