Google announced that it is funding a $10 million USD initiative over three years aimed at helping Palestinian graduates [from tech-related majors / with tech-related degrees], app developers and tech entrepreneurs advance their digital skills and find employment. The announcement was made by Ruth Porat, chief financial officer of Alphabet and Google, at a roundtable with Palestinian entrepreneurs and business leaders.
Google will work with partners from the private, public and non-profit sectors to help thousands of Palestinians develop the skills they need to find employment in the tech industry, and will help facilitate career opportunities locally and across the rest of the Middle East and North Africa region. The new initiative builds upon the work Google already does around skilling and career development, including through the Arabic digital skills training program Maharat Min Google, which has supported more than one million people and businesses in the region. The new initiative will have four pillars.
- Developing advanced tech skills: Google and its partners will offer a program in mobile and cloud/AI app development. The training will be offered in Arabic both online and in-person, with dedicated trainers.
- Mentoring & building expertise in non-technical fields: Employees of Google, as well as local and global NGOs, will mentor Palestinians in the non-technical skills needed for self-employment or for a role in a local, regional or international company;
- Providing access to job opportunities: Google and partners will organize job fairs where participants can meet potential employers.
- Connecting Palestinians with sources of financing: Google will work to match Palestinians participating in the program with funding opportunities, provide grants for access to incubators and coworking spaces, and in-kind contributions such as Google Cloud and Google Play credits.
Ruth Porat, Alphabet and Google CFO said: “We are committed to helping Palestinian graduates, app developers and tech entrepreneurs unlock more opportunities by providing skills training, facilitating connections to financing, increasing access to jobs and more. At Google, we know that our efforts will always be most effective when we can work together with others in the private sector, public sector and NGOs. We look forward to partnering with many across the region to expand upon our existing digital skills programs and provide Palestinians with the tools they need to succeed.”
