Following the recent announcement of layoffs by major employers including Marriott International and GE Aviation, Udacity, the global online learning platform that trains the world\’s workforce for the careers of the future, announced today that it will offer free Nanodegree program scholarships to individuals who have experienced job loss in the United States due to the Coronavirus pandemic. These scholarships will provide valuable retraining for people seeking to rebuild careers in today\’s technical workforce, offering access to Nanodegree® programs in a range of in-demand fields including artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital marketing, product management, data analysis, cloud computing, autonomous vehicles, and programming. Udacity is offering these scholarships as part of its ongoing commitment to the White House\’s Pledge to America\’s Workers. Job-displaced workers who would like to receive a Udacity scholarship can learn more by visiting udacity.com/pledge-to-americas-workers.
Udacity\’s Pledge to America\’s Workers job training initiative will grant 100,000 technical training scholarships to Americans by 2025. Udacity is also calling on corporations who may be facing similar downsizing challenges to include retraining as part of their severance planning, helping to ensure their employees are best positioned to secure a new opportunity and maintain financial stability.
\”America is facing a massive shortage of workers with the right technical skills, and as employers, retraining your existing workforce to address that shortage is the most efficient, cost-effective way to fill those gaps in your organization,\” said Gabe Dalporto, CEO, Udacity. \”But if retraining for new positions internally isn\’t a viable option and you need to reduce your workforce through layoffs, providing new skills training to your exiting workforce can put them in the best position to secure new work in an increasingly competitive job market. It\’s the right thing to do to set them up for success.\”
Employees who have experienced job loss as a result of Covid 19-related layoffs can apply for Udacity\’s scholarship opportunity at udacity.com/pledge-to-americas-workers. This initiative is limited to 50 laid-off employees per company. Companies interested in learning more about retraining options, including additional resources to assist employees impacted by downsizing and layoffs, should contact Udacity at enterprise.udacity.com/covid19-impact.
About Udacity
Udacity is a global, online learning platform powering digital transformation and accelerated time-to-market initiatives for Fortune 500 and Global 2000 enterprises. Udacity programs provide industry created practitioner skills through a series of \”Nanodegree\” programs consisting of online courses and real-world projects in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, autonomous systems, and cloud computing, among other disciplines. Udacity collaborates with expert instructors and over 200 global industry partners including AT&T, Google, Facebook, Mercedes-Benz and NVIDIA to power technical education. Headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., the private company has operations in the United Kingdom, Egypt, Germany, India, and the United Arab Emirates. Udacity has raised $163 million in funding to date from investors including Bertelsmann, Andreessen Horowitz, Charles River Ventures, and Drive Capital.
