On Friday, Andrew hosted a Google Digital Garage in Trowbridge as local businesses and individuals benefitted from digital skills training. In the Arc Theatre at the Trowbridge Campus of Wiltshire College, Google provided a day of free digital skills workshops and mentoring to help local people and small businesses upskill and grow in a hybrid world.
Research has found that both businesses and job seekers would benefit from digital skills training, as just 4% of small businesses feel that they’re meeting their full potential on digital strategy, and only 3% feel this for online sales and upskilling staff. Almost a third (30%) of job vacancies across the UK economy are due to the struggle to recruit people with basic digital skills. A further 72% of businesses said they would be interested in government or third party funded digital skills training, and in incentives for providing training (68%), as they look to grow in a hybrid world.
Trowbridge-based businesses, entrepreneurs, and residents joined Google for a day of free workshops and mentoring sessions on how to grow your business online, and find new customers. The event equipped those in attendance with the knowledge necessary to use complex tools such as Google Analytics.
Google Digital Garage attendees also benefited from private mentoring sessions with experts to focus on personal goals or their business growth. Andrew was pleased to have the opportunity to observe one of these sessions and learn more about the challenges facing small businesses.
Andrew said, ‘It was great to welcome Google to Trowbridge on their Google Digital Garage tour, kicking of my TechTrowbridge campaign to foster the impressive technology cluster in the county town. One of the greatest challenges facing small businesses and entrepreneurs is difficulty in accessing the skills training they need to excel in the modern world. Google’s day of talks and mentoring was a brilliant way to begin addressing that issue in South West Wiltshire. I was really pleased to see so many local businesses and residents attend to hear from Google’s fantastic Digital Garage trainers, and I enjoyed meeting a number of local businesses and residents, to hear about how they plan to use the skills learnt today, and to see first-hand the importance of improving digital skills’.
Google’s Digital Garage digital skills training programme is visiting 30 locations this year to deliver in-person digital skills training to help small businesses grow and support economic growth across the UK.
Alice Mansergh, Managing Director of Google Customer Solutions, UK & Ireland: ‘At Google, we’re passionate about equipping people in every corner of the country with the skills needed to help them make the most of the opportunities created by the UK’s digital economy. The labour market is crying out for talented individuals across a number of experience levels and our aim with our digital skills campaigns is to give more people the opportunity to gain skills that can truly transform their careers and businesses.’