This press release originally appeared online.
Key points:
- The California Community Colleges play a crucial role in providing accessible education and career pathways
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Google has unveiled a major collaboration with the California Community Colleges that will provide more than 2 million students and faculty across the state’s 116 community colleges with free access to AI training, Google Career Certificates, and some of Google’s cutting-edge AI tools including Gemini for Education and NotebookLM.
The announcement came during the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Futures Summit 2025, an event designed to drive digital transformation and innovation across the California Community Colleges. The system will also be one of the first members of Google’s AI for Education Accelerator, an initiative specifically designed to help prepare students for the jobs of today and tomorrow. This announcement with Google represents a significant expansion and investment in workforce development within higher education, positioning California’s community college students at the forefront of the AI-driven economy.
As the largest system of higher education in the nation, the California Community Colleges play a crucial role in providing accessible education and career pathways. This partnership aligns with the system’s Vision 2030 goals, focusing on enhancing student access, support, and success. By integrating Google’s industry-recognized training and AI tools, the collaboration aims to equip students with the essential job-ready skills like AI and in-demand careers in fields like data analytics, cybersecurity, and more.
This new statewide partnership builds upon successful regional collaborations. Notably, Google previously worked with Stanford Digital Education and the Bay Area Community College Consortium (BACCC), including faculty at San Jose City College, to integrate the Google Data Analytics Certificate into local curricula. That pilot program demonstrated the value of combining industry-recognized credentials with the supportive structure of community colleges to equip students with the skills they need for the future of work.
Key components of the partnership include:
- No-cost access to cutting-edge AI tools: All students, faculty, classified professionals, and the regional consortia staff will receive access to the Gemini App, Google’s generative AI tool, with data protections, including FERPA compliance. This ensures they can use AI tools with their data in an equitable, safe and private way. Additionally, they will have access to Guided Learning, custom AI prompts called Gems, Deep Research reports, NotebookLM and more to help as they study, research and learn.
- No-cost access to training: All students and faculty will receive free access to Google Career Certificates, Google AI Essentials, and Prompting Essentials. These programs provide practical, hands-on training for in-demand jobs
- Curriculum integration: Google and the Chancellor’s Office will collaborate with faculty to integrate these certificate programs and AI courses, particularly focusing on Data Analytics and AI, into existing college curricula and pathways.
- Enhanced faculty development: Faculty will gain access to Google’s training programs, professional development resources, including best practices and implementation playbook developed during the Stanford/BACCC pilot, to effectively leverage the certificates. Faculty will also have access to Google’s new Google AI in Higher Education course which teaches faculty ways to use AI as an assistant in their professional practice to save time, inspire creativity, and assist with research.
This initiative builds on the success of Google’s tools and programs like Gemini for Education which has been officially integrated into the academic and administrative frameworks of 1000+ US Higher education institutions.
By bringing these tools and resources to the vast California community college system, Google and the Chancellor’s Office are making a significant stride in democratizing access to high-quality tech education and preparing learners for the jobs of tomorrow.
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