WT Students Eligible for Professional Certifications Through TAMUS Pilot Program

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, [email protected]

CANYON, Texas - West Texas A&M University is offering students access to free AI education and job training programs through Grow with Google.

WT joined the Grow with Google pilot program with universities around The Texas A&M University System. Each university receives 500 reusable licenses for 19 professional certifications; once someone has completed a certificate, the seat is assigned to someone else.

"In an ever-changing world, we know that our graduates will succeed by being well-rounded learners with a broad knowledge base," said Kat Kane, senior director of WT's Office of Career and Professional Development. "We also know that employers are also leaning on skills-based hiring more than ever before.

"There's magic in the 'and' of 'West Texas A&M University'," Kane continued. "Here, our students can learn how to be an engineer, for example, and also add skills in project management. That makes them more marketable in the job market, ultimately helping them to graduate and succeed.."

WT students also have access to nine career certificates that offer comprehensive learning around in-demand skills, perfect to compliment a student's major.

Certifications are available in advanced data analytics, business intelligence, cybersecurity, data analytics, digital marketing and e-commerce, IT automation with Python, IT support, project management and UX design.

WT students have access to 10 Google specialization courses. These are shorter in length and scope than the certification courses but provide students with expertise in niche areas.

Specialization courses include Accelerate your Job Search with AI, Agile Essentials, AI Essentials, Data-Driven Decision Making, Digital Analysis and Python, Digital Customer Engagement, Network Security, People Management Essentials, Prompting Essentials and Stakeholder Management.

Specializations take between six and 30 hours, and career certificates can be completed between 73 and 200 hours.

Courses are open to all currently enrolled WT students, who can sign up at bit.ly/GrowWithGoogleSign-Up.

for individual access. WT faculty also may embed them into their curriculum.

The Grow with Google specialization and career certificate programs are available to students across the University.

Similarly, WT's Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business and four other business colleges across the System offer students, as well as faculty and staff, access to the Coursera Career Academy, which offers about 500 courses, 50-plus professional certificates and hundreds of guided projects.

Dr. Michael McFarland, assistant clinical professor of media communication in the Department of Communication in the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities, wove a prompting essentials course into his New Media class.

"Students learned how to design and write better prompts, which provided better results from their GenAI tool," McFarland said. "They also learned how to use GenAI for practical and time-saving tasks such as brainstorming, drafting emails, summarizing notes, creating presentations, and data analysis."

Building academic excellence is a key mission of the University's long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign has raised more than $175 million and will continue through 2025.

About West Texas A&M University

A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M University is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor's and master's degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men's and women's athletics programs.

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