If AI has been one of the reasons you were displaced this year and had to resort to upskilling, Google has something for you. As the AI fever catches on the country’s recruiters, Google is now taking the initiative to offer free AI courses and professional certificates that could help new aspirants and job seekers gain the necessary skills to ace the modern-world job scenarios. As artificial intelligence becomes a mandatory requirement in the modern job market, Google has announced a suite of free AI-centric training programs that hope to bridge the global skills gap.
Google’s move comes at a time when most employers are prioritising candidates who can effectively leverage generative AI while maintaining human oversight. As part of the new trends and recent data, it can be observed that there’s a surge in job postings that require AI skills.
– Google says that there has been a 108 per cent increase in job postings mentioning AI over the last two years.
– 56 per cent of workers now command a salary premium for AI skills compared to those doing the same job without AI skills.
– 83 per cent of workers now state that modern AI tools support their ability to develop new skills in their current job roles.
Hence, access to free AI courses from one of the world’s leading AI platform operators ends up being the ideal present.
Google brings AI courses and certifications for all levels
The courses, which are available through platforms like Google Cloud Skills Boost and Grow with Google, cater to a diverse audience of students, educators, small business owners, and seasoned professionals.
Here’s a list of all the courses that include:
AI Essentials (5 hours): This is a beginner-friendly introduction to generative AI, focusing on ideation and content creation.
Prompting Essentials (6 hours): This is a deep dive into writing effective prompts to get the best results from tools like Gemini.
Accelerate your job search with AI (6 hours): In this course, you will be taught how to use AI to build search plans, manage applications, and prepare for interviews.
AI for Educators (2 hours): This course helps teachers automate lesson planning and personalise student instruction.
AI for students and small businesses: As part of this course, you get specialised tracks to help students manage coursework and small enterprises engage customers more effectively.
AI integrated into professional certificates
In addition to standalone modules, Google has updated its popular Google Career Certificate programs—which cover fields like Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, and UX Design—to include field-specific AI training. This ensures that learners not only understand general AI principles but also know how to apply them directly within their specific domains.
Despite the focus on automation, Google’s curriculum emphasises that AI is an assistive tool. The courses are designed to help professionals focus on creative decision-making by offloading repetitive tasks to machines, while stressing the importance of applying human judgment to verify AI outputs for accuracy and credibility.
How to enroll in Google AI courses
Interested learners can head to the ‘Grow with Google’ portal and access these courses and certification programs via the official learning pages. Each course is self-paced and online, providing a flexible way for individuals to upskill alongside their current jobs or studies. Upon completion, users receive a certificate that can be added to resumes and LinkedIn profiles.
