the release<\/a>, learners will be able to go from zero experience to qualified for an entry-level position in the span of 8-12 months. It marks one of the first projects created by the Grow with Google initiative, which was launched in October of last year.<\/p>\n\u201cThere\u2019s no better example of a dynamic, fast-growing field than IT support,\u201d writes product lead natalie Van Kleef Conley in a release. \u201cWith more and more people relying on computers for some part of their work, growth in IT support is outpacing the average rate for all other occupations. In the United States alone, there are currently 150,000 open IT support jobs (according to Burning Glass), and the average starting salary is $52,000 according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leveling Up<\/h1>\n
The course is born out of a previous partnership begun in 2014 with Year Up, a non-profit that strives to train un- or underemployed urban adults for necessary un-filled positions. The success of the program proved that it could be implemented on a larger scale.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was a little kid, I always knew I wanted to work with computers,\u201d says program graduate Edgar Barragan in a promotional video. \u201cAfter high school, I enrolled in college to study computer engineering. My father lost his job so I had to drop out of college to work full time to help support my family.\u201d Google\u2019s IT course allowed him to become a qualified IT specialist without a four year degree.<\/p>\n