Grow with Google

Grow with Google is Google's training program for people who want to build job skills, grow a business or learn to use AI at work. For learners, its main product is the Google Career Certificates, online professional certificates in high-growth fields that are hosted on Coursera, alongside shorter AI courses, some of them free. The site describes the certificates as "Flexible online training programmes designed to help people learn job-ready skills in high-growth career fields," with no relevant experience or degree required. According to its About section, Grow with Google has partnered since 2014 with governments, industry experts, universities and local nonprofits to train over 16 million people across Europe in digital skills, including AI skills.

The Google Career Certificates

The certificate catalog covers nine programs. The Google AI Professional Certificate is the newest: the site says learners "gain hands-on experience building the AI skills employers are looking for" and, in a course designed by experts at Google, "learn to use AI to sharpen your strategy, boost your creativity, and get more done, faster." It includes 20+ hands-on activities and practical labs that mirror real tasks, and learners build a portfolio of AI projects. Enrolling currently comes with three months of Google AI Pro at no cost, subject to terms, with the offer to be redeemed by January 1, 2027.

Next to it sit two AI-focused courses. Accelerate Your Job Search with AI is an 8 hour online course, marked beginner level with a certificate, that teaches learners to identify and articulate their skills, build a job search plan, use AI to prepare for interviews and succeed in them. AI Essentials is taught by AI experts at Google and promises "in-demand skills to boost your productivity and use AI in the real world," with zero experience required.

The career-field certificates make up the rest:

• Cybersecurity: identifying common risks, threats and vulnerabilities and the techniques to mitigate them, pitched as a credential for an entry-level cybersecurity job.
• Data Analytics: the practices and processes a junior or associate data analyst uses day to day.
• Digital Marketing & E-Commerce: using digital platforms to market, sell and reach new customers.
• IT Support: everyday tasks such as computer assembly, wireless networking, installing programs and customer service.
• Project Management: the practices and skills needed for an entry-level project management job.
• UX Design: the basics of UX research, from planning studies to interviewing and synthesizing results.

According to the FAQ, the certificates were designed and built by subject-matter experts and senior practitioners at Google from each job field, aimed at the theoretical knowledge, practical knowledge and problem-solving skills needed in an entry-level job. Industry organizations and platforms consulted and collaborated on the material, and the page names the Project Management Institute for project management, Tableau for data analytics and Figma for UX design as examples.

How the learning works

The certificates are fully online, with no classroom attendance. Learners work through instructional videos, readings and assignments at any time, on the web or a mobile device, and the program is pitched as something to complete at your own pace. The FAQ says the certificates are designed to deliver job-ready skills in 3-6 months with no degree or prior experience in the field. Most certificates can be taken in a browser or the Coursera app, but some modules in IT Support and UX Design require downloading applications that run only on a PC or Mac.

The courses run on Coursera, and the FAQ is clear that Coursera is not part of Google or Alphabet: the certificates are simply hosted there. To receive a certificate, learners upload a valid government-issued ID, which Coursera reviews; once it is approved and all courses in the program are finished, they can download a digital certificate. Scholarship recipients who have trouble providing an ID are told to contact their scholarship program administrator.

After finishing, the FAQ's advice is practical: add the certificate to your CV and LinkedIn profile, look up roles and companies that match the skills you have gained, and apply when a role fits. The site's own pitch is that a Google Career Certificate helps a CV stand out to employers.

Cost, scholarships and offers

Pricing follows Coursera's subscription model. The FAQ says a certificate learner is "charged a standard Coursera monthly fee for your country," so the total depends on how long it takes to finish all the certificate courses. Grow with Google's pages do not print that fee.

Scholarships lower the barrier. The certificates page advertises 16,000 scholarships to help people who need them access the certificates. The FAQ adds that Google has funded scholarships for Google Career Certificates across EMEA, distributed by Grow with Google partners and Google.org grantees, and that the Google Career Certificate Scholarship Program lets recipients take the certificate courses free of charge for as long as they hold the scholarship. Scholarship distributors in each country may set their own criteria.

Some short courses cost nothing. AI Boost Bites offers "Concise 10-minute videos and challenges to build AI fluency on topics like content creation, market intelligence, and more," marked no charge, beginner level, with a badge. Introduction to Agents and Google's Agent Ecosystem, also no charge and marked intermediate with a badge, gives a foundational understanding of AI agents from their core architecture to their business impact. A wider collection of AI trainings for all levels sits behind an Explore more AI courses link.

Students get a separate offer on the European site: eligible students can claim a Gemini upgrade at no cost for one year, redeemable until 31 December 2026. A valid form of payment is required at sign-up, and unless canceled, Google AI Plus then charges €4.99 a month after the trial ends.

The wider program

On the European site, Grow with Google also runs the AI Works for Europe initiative, through which Google partners with the public sector, nonprofits, employers and universities to help European workers, businesses and students gain AI skills, with local pages for countries from Austria to the UK. The same pages carry learner stories, such as an IT support technician who described the certificate as feeling like "a mini degree," and a regional site serves learners in Africa.

Who it suits

Grow with Google suits career changers and job seekers who want an entry-level credential in AI, data analytics, cybersecurity, IT support, digital marketing, project management or UX design without a degree or prior experience, and who are happy to study online at their own pace. The Coursera subscription model rewards steady progress, since the cost depends on how long the certificate takes. People who qualify for a scholarship can take the certificate courses free, and anyone curious about AI can start with the no-charge short courses before committing. The main caveats are that the certificates are entry-level programs rather than degrees, and that a few IT Support and UX Design modules need a PC or Mac.