Google Cloud and TUBISAD launch a Turkish academy targeting more than 1,000 certifications in 12 months

On Oct. 27, at the Google Cloud Day Turkey 2026 event in Istanbul, Google Cloud announced the Turkey Cloud and AI Skilling Academy, set up with the Information Technology Industrialists Association, known as TUBISAD. According to Bloomberg HT, more than 800 people attended the event at the Wyndham Grand Istanbul Levent. The academy is funded by a grant from Google Cloud’s Economic and Social Development unit and runs through local Authorized Training Partners and digital learning programs. TUBISAD’s members account for roughly 90% of Turkey’s information and communications technology market.

The program has three pillars. The first is professional certification: financially supported technical training for software developers, cloud architects and systems engineers. The target is more than 1,000 official Google Cloud certifications in cloud computing and generative AI in the first 12 months. The second covers AI literacy, strategic governance frameworks and AI-driven business models for senior executives and public sector leaders. The third consists of tailored transformation roadmaps to help TUBISAD members modernize their technology infrastructure and increase software exports. Eligibility, timing and fees were not announced, and beyond these two reports no official announcement page from Google or TUBISAD could be found.

Onder Guler, country manager for Google Cloud Turkey, said the partnership represents “a long-term investment in Turkey’s human capital potential.” Mehmet Ali Tombalak, chairman of TUBISAD, said the academy gives members and local engineers direct access to global training standards. The event fell on the first anniversary of Google Cloud’s decision to build a local cloud region in Turkey with Turkcell. The $2 billion investment spread over ten years was announced in November 2025 and is not a new commitment. According to Para Dergi, construction of the data center in Ankara is on schedule.