RENO,Nev. — Google isproviding 10,000 Certified Educator Level 1 vouchers at no cost across the State. Through support for the Nevada Department of Education, the certifications will be offered to teachers who want to grow and demonstrate their proficiency in Google Workspace tools for classroom teaching. 

The program consists of a Fundamentals Course and a Level 1 Academy to help educators learn valuable technology skills useful in both hybrid and virtual environments. Once achieved, the certification is valid for three years.

“Our goal is to provide educators with opportunities to develop the digital skills they need in any tech-driven classroom,” said Kate Franko, Google’s Regional Head ofData Center Public Affairs. “We hope this training will make their work easier, and even more impactful, and create ripple effects across Nevada that benefit both teachers and students."

The program is available to many groups of educators working with Nevada’s students including licensed Nevada teachers and Alternative Route to Licensure (ARL) teachers, teacher preparation faculty at Nevada universities and ARL programs, contracted educational technology specialist computer teachers, pre-service teachers accepted to a Nevada teacher preparation program, school librarians and media specialists. 

“Nevada’s educators are the key to fostering students who are globally prepared and future-ready,” said Jhone Ebert, State Superintendent of Public Instruction. “As the technology of our world continues to rapidly evolve, it is critical to build our educators’ capacity to support our students and I thank Google for providing this opportunity.”

Applicationsto join the initial cohort of 2,500 educators to receive training this year in the Level 1 Certification are open starting today online. The remaining 7,500 certification vouchers will be available in 2022 and beyond. In addition to training teachers, a cohort of educators already achieved Google Certified Trainer status. These newly Certified Trainers will be able to assist with the monumental undertaking of certifying up to 10,000 educators in the Level 1 program in the future.

“The educators who will take this Level 1 course, and those who have already become trainers, are extremely dedicated individuals who will develop their skills to benefit themselves, their students, and their peers,” says Amy Mayer, CEO and Founder of friEdTechnology, the Google for Education Professional Development partner delivering the training. “This dedication combined with newly-minted tech skills will support their efficiency and effectiveness in the classroom.”

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AboutGoogle in Nevada 
In July 2019, Google broke ground on its first $600 million data center in Henderson, Nevada, with a second $600 million expansion following in 2020. In 2020 Google also announced a new $600 million investment in Storey County, bringing its total investment in Nevada to $1.8 billion. Once fully operational, all sites will employ many people in a variety of fields including computer technicians, engineers, and various service, maintenance, and security roles.