Cook County is stepping up its game for adult education with a fresh partnership spotlighted by County Board President Toni Preckwinkle who today announced a collaboration between the county's Project Rainbow and Grow with Google, which is set to provide no-cost Google Career Certificate scholarships for local adults, a move that's sure to bolster career prospects for the residents, in a statement obtained by Cook County news release.
This teamwork with Google aims to equip hundreds of individuals for in-demand roles; in fields like IT support, data analytics, cybersecurity, and more and emphasizing the point, "These incredible learning scholarship opportunities will help those seeking to accelerate their professional career path, looking for a first job, changing careers, or even getting back into the workforce to build the skills they need to thrive in today’s ever-changing job market and economy," Toni Preckwinkle told the press.
With the initiative called Project Rainbow set out on this new chapter the county's commitment is clear as the program signifies a clear-cut path aimed at working adults seeking to sharpen their skillset or embark on a different career trajectory, an intention highlighted by Nick Shields who said, "This is about making sure talent in Cook County gets every chance to succeed and thrive," further iterating the mission of the initiative, as per the earlier mentioned Cook County announcement.
Notably, the Google Career Certificates have been designed to be completed online with no requirement for a previous college degree or work experience which makes the program widely accessible, and it's not just about learning; Grow with Google also pitches in with interview prep and job connection aids, and this educational opportunity isn't exclusive, it's open to every resident in Cook County according to the official Cook County announcement.
Since its inception, Project Rainbow has already tethered itself to outcomes like childhood education and scholarship awards, the latter of which being the Provident Scholarship Fund, having granted over $4 million in scholarships to more than 200 students in the health sector since 2022, thus expanding is its real word impact, the Project Rainbow continues to evolve providing residents new opportunities the Project Rainbow website keeps details on these available endeavors.
