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Elizabeth City State University is partnering with Google’s for the tech company’s Grow With Google HBCU Career Readiness Program.
The program, started in 2020, provides funding for career centers at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), along with semester long in-person and online digital training programs. The programs include instruction on design, project management and professional brand building.
“ECSU is committed to preparing students for their future careers and educational endeavors after college,” said Amber Lennon, ECSU’s director of Career and Professional Development and the Quality Enhancement Plan, in a statement on the partnership.
“Our current Quality Enhancement Plan, ‘Pathway to Success: From the Classroom to Career,’ affirms a commitment to equip students with the skills needed to prepare them to lead successful careers,” Lennon said. “As a result of our Grow with Google partnership, ECSU students will gain access to enhanced career readiness programming and hone their digital skills, ultimately expanding their career opportunities. We are so appreciative of this opportunity to participate in this initiative and thankful for Google’s commitment to supporting college students develop the skills needed to secure internships and jobs.”
Google made $50 million in grants to 10 HBCUs in 2021 and recently announced a $6 million investment in the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and United Negro College Fund (UNCF).
ECSU is the smallest of the HBCUs in the UNC System. The campus has seen a recent surge in enrollment and a number of program expansions and large funding announcements.
The university’s four-year aviation education program is the only one in North Carolina and has become its signature program. But university officials say that’s one of a number of programs upon which they are building to ready students for the modern workforce.
“One of ECSU’s strategic priorities focuses on academic excellence, specifically expanding our academic program offerings, services and learning opportunities to align with community demand and meet the needs of employers,” said Dr. Karrie G. Dixon, ECSU chancellor, in a statement. “We are thankful for our new Grow with Google partnership, which will help increase our scholars’ ability to gain new skills that will ultimately make them more competitive in the global marketplace.”
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