Online education startup Coursera has launched a new IT course in partnership with Google aimed at helping students gain tech support skills and fill jobs.

In the press release about the new program, both companies revealed that this new Coursera platform is dedicated to training new IT professionals. The program, created by Google, will be used on Coursera's platform and will teach students to become fluent in IT and test their skills across six fundamental areas.

These six areas include troubleshooting and customer service, operating systems, automation, security, networking, and system administration. What’s even better is this is ideal is for anyone wanting to get into the field, as prior IT experience is not necessary to join the program.

Coursera stated that the pair are filling a need for IT support in the tech word. According to the online educator, there are about 150,000 unfilled IT jobs in the United States right now.

IT Program Details

Coursera and Google gave a bit of detail regarding the IT program and revealed that it will launch globally. However, the program will initially launch only in English and will have 64 hours of coursework for participants. There is a time frame for students to complete all coursework, which is set between eight to 12 months. The IT program will have a monthly cost of $49 a month.

Reports say that the $49 a month is the typical price of a Coursera subscription. However, if that is something students can’t afford, Google is offering financial aid to 10,000 people. The total cost for a student who pays outright will cost between $392 and $588. This will depend on how long it takes to complete all the coursework.

The announcement noted that students who complete the certificate program will be able to use the Coursera platform to share their resumes with companies. Fortunately, there are a few high-profile companies who use Coursera's platform, including Google, Walmart, PNC Bank, Infosys, TEK Systems, and Bank of America.

Students can complete the IT certificate program from any location on the Coursera platform. The platform is available on iOS and Android and online through Safari, Chrome, and more.

This isn’t the first time Coursera and Google have worked together to offer programs such as this. Previously, Google was offering a couple of courses through the Coursera platform, which helped students get certified for Google Cloud developers. This certification is ideal for companies that are using the Google Cloud service.