Google Supports Vietnam in Enhancing Digital Skills of Workforce

On October 28, Google announced that it will be providing 40,000 scholarships for Vietnamese students. Alongside this, the company introduced three additional training courses as part of the Google Career Certificates program, aiming to support Vietnam’s digital transformation.

This announcement was made during the 2023 Vietnam International Innovation Exhibition (VIIE 2023), held by the Ministry of Planning and Investment from October 28 to November 1.

Google will offer 40,000 scholarships for Vietnamese students at an event held within the framework of the 2023 Vietnam International Innovation Exhibition. Photo: Vietnam Digital Talent program

The Google Career Certificates program, which was launched in 2022, is a non-profit project sponsored by Google, in collaboration with the National Innovation Centre (NIC) in Vietnam.

The program is part of Google’s efforts to enhance the digital skills and knowledge of the Vietnamese workforce.

After completing each course, learners will receive globally recognized professional certifications from Google in various fields, including IT support, data analytics, project management, digital marketing & e-commerce, and user experience design. These certifications are obtained through the online learning platform www.coursera.org.

The program offers eight courses, including five courses launched during the 2022-2023 phase, and three new courses in cybersecurity, advanced data analytics, and business intelligence. These courses will be available for free until December 31, 2024.

The program has made significant achievements in narrowing the digital gap in Vietnam and providing learning and development opportunities for 20,000 students. Additionally, it has partnered with VietnamWorks and TopCV to build a network of more than 100 recruitment partners.

Sapna Chadha, vice president of Google Asia-Pacific and Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong. Photo: Vietnam Digital Talent program

According to an economic report from Google, 62% of respondents consider analytical skills to be one of the most important skills, while 55% said digital and cybersecurity skills are also important. However, there is currently a serious shortage of cybersecurity experts, with only 50,000 experts available to handle problems, while 650,000 engineers are needed.

Highlighting Vietnam as one of the countries with the fastest-growing digital economy in Southeast Asia, Sapna Chadha, vice president of Google Asia-Pacific, expressed the company’s commitment to supporting the improvement of digital skills for the Vietnamese people.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), the NIC, and other government partners, Google has been actively working on the successful implementation of the Vietnam Digital Talent program.

Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong stated that the program aims to strengthen digital skills and promote talent to enhance digital human resources.

“We have been making progress in narrowing the digital divide in Vietnam and providing learning and development opportunities for 20,000 people. More than 5,000 students have completed at least one course of the program and successfully received professional certification from Google, which demonstrates the success of our mission,” Phuong said.

Within the framework of the event, the Vietnam Digital Talent program, in collaboration with VietnamWorks and TopCV, organized a large-scale job fair, connecting graduates with more than 30 businesses in the recruitment network. The fair provided students with the opportunity to directly meet and interact with representatives from companies and corporations in related fields. Useful activities such as CV optimization, career counseling, and interviews were also conducted to help students prepare for the competitive labor market.