ASU CareerCatalyst and Google Announce Job-Ready Sustainability Skills Program

ASU CareerCatalyst and Google announced a new specialization training program in sustainability to complement Google’s Career Certificate in Project Management.

The specialization, designed for anyone with a high school diploma or greater, introduces common sustainability roles, assesses sustainability challenges that face the planet and employers and equips learners with skills to address these challenges.

Learners who complete the specialization will receive a shareable certificate and be able to make an impact on their organizations with sustainability skills related to goal-setting, reporting and data analysis.

Offered exclusively by ASU — recognized by The Sierra Club as the #1 institution for sustainability — the sustainability specialization is a program that can be “stacked” onto a Google Career Certificate to equip learners with in-demand sustainability skills for well-paying jobs in the growing field of sustainability.

More than 479,000 project management jobs are currently open in the U.S. with a median starting salary of $73,000. In addition, the demand for sustainability-oriented talent in the workforce worldwide is rising. Job postings requiring sustainability-oriented skills grew at 8% annually over the last five years, with studies showing that there is still a lag in meeting that demand, hinting at a growing skills gap.

“ASU, together with Google, is reimagining how we serve learners from all backgrounds and stages in life who are looking for career advancement opportunities,” said Maria Anguiano, executive vice president of the ASU Learning Enterprise, who leads the university’s initiatives and programs that serve learners from pre-kindergarten to post-retirement.

“This career education program is driven by learner and industry needs for sustainability skills that are backed by robust academic expertise,” Aguiano says. “Now, individuals don’t have to choose between learning from world-renowned scholars and gaining job skills that can be applied immediately at work. They can do both and succeed on their own terms.”

The credential was developed by the CareerCatalyst team, part of ASU Learning Enterprise, in collaboration with faculty led by Christopher Boone, professor and former dean of ASU’s School of Sustainability and Senior Global Futures Scientist in the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory.

“We’re excited that ASU sustainability faculty are launching a new course to help Google Career Certificate graduates qualify for jobs in this rapidly growing field,” said Lisa Gevelber, Founder Grow with Google. “We’re proud that this program will open up incredible new job opportunities for certificate graduates while equipping them with the skills needed to address some of the most important issues facing the planet.”

As companies continue to grow, they are facing new business challenges related to sustainability and habitability of the planet. They also are facing increased scrutiny from consumers, employees, investors and other stakeholders who ask for greater accountability and transparency regarding sustainability practices. In order to address this growing demand for sustainability professionals, the multi-part specialization will establish a foundation for those looking for jobs such as Sustainability Analyst, Sustainability Specialist or Sustainability Coordinator.

To ensure learners are job-ready, members of the Google Career Certificates employer consortium — including Deloitte and Recycle Track Systems — reviewed ASU’s course content. The employer consortium consists of over 150 companies, including Google, that commit to considering certificate graduates for relevant open roles.

Learn more about ASU and Google’s Sustainability Analyst Fundamentals Specialization certificate program.