If you’re thinking about going to college to, say, pursue a degree in data science, here’s a statistic to listen to: college graduates make $1.2 million more, on average, during their lifetime than those who don’t.
That’s according to data compiled by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. For those early in their career, obtaining a degree is about more than simply getting a diploma—it means a substantially greater change at having a higher salary, and thus, having greater social and economic mobility.
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But for many students, especially low-income and underrepresented high schoolers, the idea of going to college may be a daunting one to say the least—with many not believing they could be worthy enough to pursue a career, especially in-demand, high-paying jobs in the STEM field. A new partnership, shared exclusively with Fortune, between Google, Howard University, and the National Education Equity Lab is hoping to reverse that hesitation.
Starting this fall, students at under-resourced, Title 1 high schools will be able to learn the fundamentals of data analytics via Google’s industry-recognized certification program as well as gain six college credits from Howard—all for free.
“It’s a critical pipeline opportunity for students in our high schools that have not had an opportunity to be exposed to potential careers in data analytics (who) will (otherwise) be behind the curve because of this absence of exposure,” explains Leslie Cornfield, founder and CEO of the National Ed Equity Lab.
Since 2019, the organization has reached more than 25,000 disadvantaged students in many of the country’s largest school districts—including in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Nashville, and Denver—with opportunities to realize they can actually do well in rigorous college courses. The lab has been so successful in such a short amount of time that even The New York Times wrote a feature on it.
Why is data analytics important?
During the year-long program, students will take Google’s Data Analytics Professional Certification—the most popular of any certification on Coursera and learn the essentials of data analytics, including exposure to Tableau and SQL via hands-on projects and case studies. While a classroom teacher will help students with the asynchronous certification coursework, a teaching fellow from Howard will also connect with students virtually to help with mastery of materials as well as provide mentoring and advice.
Ben Vinson, president of Howard University, says his school chose to participate in the program to not only expand their own walls to classrooms across the country—but also as part of Howard’s commitment to truth, service, and uplifting underserved communities.
“This is an increasingly technical world, and data is the new coin of the realm, if you will, in a fast-paced, technologically, AI-fueled environment,” explains Vinson. “And so, data science then becomes a key core skill for future success, and we want underserved populations, minority populations to be very successful in these highly technical fields.”
Data science and data analytics are among the fastest growing fields not only in the tech space, but across all occupations. Over the next 10 years, CompTIA predicts that demand for data scientists and data analysts will grow by 304%.
Lisa Gevelber, founder and leader of Grow with Google, the company’s tech training arm, says Google believes data analytics is critical for individuals to learn due to its rapid growth—that pays well, too.
“It’s really good to have durable skills, and also to be able to prove to people that you have those skills. And the best way to demonstrate that you have these skills are through real experience or through a credential,” she tells Fortune.
Building college readiness—and worthiness
As part of Grow with Google, students receive access to an employer consortium, made up of more than 150 companies such as Walmart, Marriott, and Accenture, who are eager to connect with talent—and maybe one day hire them. Students are also provided access to a job board of entry-level data analytics jobs in which their certification would make them qualified for, and Grow with Google even provides tips on writing resumes and other job success help.
“It’s really designed not just to teach them about their field, but to help them get a great job that will hopefully lead to a long term career,” Gevelber says.
Students part of this new partnership also get access to a new AI essentials course from Google. All together, the program aims to make students confident to further master college-level courses and prepare for the job market.
“We want to break down barriers to success. We want to elevate the performance of students in these areas. And we want to inspire their confidence in ways that prepare them not just to, for the skills in these fields, but also to be more confident about going to college and succeeding,” Vinson adds.
Vinson says college is essential for unlocking the totality of one’s future, and thus students should “never stop dreaming.”
“Always realize that the next step to fulfilling your dreams is entering the doors of college because that allows you to gain the capacity, the confidence, and the know-how to to implement those dreams in the future.”
Check out all of Fortune’s rankings of degree programs, and learn more about specific career paths.