Ivanka Trump and Google's CEO announce a tech job training initiative
- Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced a new job training program at an event alongside Ivanka Trump in Dallas, Tex. on Thursday.
- Pichai said Google plans to provide 250,000 training opportunities for Americans over five years.
- The announcement comes as Google and others face mounting antitrust probes into their businesses.
At a roundtable event in Dallas, Tex. Thursday alongside Ivanka Trump, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced new job training opportunities through a White House initiative.
Google will sign the "Pledge to America's Workers," a White House initiative that calls on employers to expand education programs for American workers, Pichai said in a statement prior to the event. As part of the commitment, Pichai said the company provide 250,000 training opportunities for Americans in technology skills over five years.
Google had previously signed the pledge through its membership in the trade group the Internet Association, but Thursday's announcement further strengthens that commitment. Google already has a national skills training program called "Grow with Google," which provides free resources to learn various online skills. In a blog post Thursday, Google announced plans to expand that program to 100 community colleges in the U.S. by 2020.
At the roundtable, Trump said the pledge is meant to fill job opportunities with young workers as well as help reskill workers later in their careers.
"We need to fundamentally change how we think about learning and education in this country ... and celebrate the many pathways to career success that exist today," Trump said.
Google's pledge comes as it is facing multiple investigations into its competitive practices. Google has received a request for documents from the House Judiciary Committee and also faces a state-led probe from 50 attorneys general and reportedly from the Department of Justice.
As antitrust scrutiny closes in on Big Tech, Pichai and his peers have carved out more face time with influential politicians. Most recently, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg met with a host of lawmakers and President Donald Trump in private meetings during a surprise D.C. visit to discuss internet regulation.
Apple CEO Tim Cook keeps up with the president through meetings and phone calls. Trump told reporters in April that Cook calls him "and others don't," even though Cook disagrees with some actions by his administration, like its decision to terminate DACA, which was created to shield some immigrants from deportation. Cook has a lot at stake with Trump's tariffs on China, where Apple assembles many of its products. Cook also sits on the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, which is co-chaired by Ivanka Trump and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.