Pluralsight, the technology workforce development company, today announced that it has received the 2021 Google Cloud Social Impact Partner of the Year – Education award. Pluralsight was recognized as a result of its successful partnership with both Google Cloud and Andela, a global job placement network for software developers with a mission to train 100,000 software engineers across Africa in 10 years. Together, these organizations are enabling aspiring developers across Africa to skill up through the Google Africa Developer Scholarship (GADS) program powered by Pluralsight Skills, the leading technology skill development platform.
By 2034, Africa is expected to have the world’s largest working-age population of 1.1 billion—yet only 3 to 4 million jobs are created annually. There is a great need to create opportunities for the millions of people on the continent who are creative, smart, and driven to succeed. Technology offers great opportunities for creating jobs, growing businesses, and boosting economies. However, people need the right skills and tools to navigate the digital world. The GADS program, a four-month scholarship program, solves this problem by enabling existing and aspiring developers in Africa to build the skills they need to get their Google certifications through Pluralsight Skills. So far, Google, Pluralsight, and Andela have provided access to more than 61,000 learners across 53 African countries.
“We believe in the power of human acumen and technology to solve the toughest challenges. Technology is a lifeline. Google Cloud’s work in Africa is designed to support making technology both universally accessible and useful. This award underscores our mission to advance the world’s technology workforce and our passion for enabling catalytic initiatives and solutions that make a positive and lasting impact on the world,” said Ken Leonard, SVP of Global Ecosystem Solutions at Pluralsight. “Our partnership with Google Cloud has given Pluralsight the space to support tech-enabled solutions that help turn challenges into opportunities, and give all people regardless of their challenges our best in-class tools to develop the technology skills they need to succeed. We are so very proud and humbled to be recognized for this effort working alongside a deeply committed partner dedicated to creating momentum around harnessing technology to do good.”
“Over the last year, Pluralsight has demonstrated its continued commitment to helping drive positive outcomes across education with innovative technology and solutions, resulting in long-lasting and impactful outcomes for customers and their communities,” said Bronwyn Hastings, VP of Global ISV Partnerships and Channels, Google Cloud. “We’re proud to recognize Pluralsight as Social Impact Partner of the Year for Education.”
With Pluralsight Skills, fellows within the program receive free access to custom learning paths and curated expert-authored courses on the topics of Associate Android Developer, Google Cloud Engineering, or Mobile Web Specialist. Additionally, fellows have access to several learning modalities, including virtual instructor-led training, hands-on labs, and sandboxes, and skill assessments to further their cloud skills.
