Florida Memorial University tapped for Google program at historically Black colleges

Florida Memorial University is one of 16 historically Black colleges nationwide tapped by Google to receive funding aimed at training students in digital skills.

The school will receive $40,000 from a $1 million investment the company made through it’s Grow with Google HBCU Career Readiness Program. The money will help strengthen the school’s career services center this semester.

“This will allow us to expand and speak specifically to the digital skills gap that Google and many other employers have identified among college graduates,” said Tameka Bradley Hobbs, FMU’s associate provost for academic affairs.

Workshops on project management and credentials training through Google will be among the services the grant will help provide, Bradley Hobbs said.

The 16 schools selected are part of a pilot program that will be offered to all historically Black colleges in the fall. Google’s investment is part of a $15 million commitment the company made last June to upskilling Black workers.

Last week’s announcement of renewed commitment to historically Black colleges and universities comes on the heels of allegations of racism against the tech giant. College presidents from five HBCUs, including Florida A&M University, took Google’s CEO to task recently after two former employees alleged that leaders at the company were dismissive of students graduating from HBCUs.

Google has had limited success in diversifying its workforce. In 2020, the percentage of Black employees at the company grew to 3.7%, according to the company’s annual diversity report. The number stood at 2.4% in 2014.

Corporate attempts to address racism and lack of representation have helped fuel a renaissance of sorts among historically Black colleges, said Bradley Hobbs. Prominent graduates of HBCUs, including Vice President Kamala Harris and former Democratic House leader Stacey Abrams, have also added to a renewed interest in the schools. Harris visited Florida Memorial at the beginning of the campaign trail in September.

“We’ve known within the HBCU community of our outstanding ability to educate and produce stellar citizens,” Bradley Hobbs said. “It’s just now that this work is being seen in a real way and people are willing to make an investment to help HBCUs continue to do this work — and part of that is an acknowledgment of the historic under-investment in HBCUs.”