SMEs Offered Help By New Google Skills Portal

Google is hoping to provide a boost to the UK’s small and medium sized enterprises by launching a digital learning portal.

Digital Garage Academy will provide tutorials to SMEs across a range of subjects, including analytics, marketing and social media skills.

The Academy is not only open to SMEs however. Google is offering the service to anyone wishing to boost their online knowledge, whether they want to start a business or just further their own personal development. All of the lessons are available free of charge.

Speaking to V3, Google’s managing director for the UK and Ireland Eileen Naughton said that the Digital Garage Academy could make a significant positive impact on the development of SMEs and entrepreneurs.

“Fewer than 30 per cent of SMEs in the UK have an effective online presence, so Google aims to nurture digital expertise among the other 70 per cent to help them reach new customers, manage marketing expenses and use data-driven consumer insights to help their business grow,” she explained.

“This autumn, as part of a ‘back to school’ drive, we want to inspire business owners and their teams to think about how they could use the power of the web and take some time from their busy schedules to invest in developing new skills.”

In order to sign up to the learning platform, SMEs and their employees simply have to have a Google account and fill in a short questionnaire which enables the lesson programme to be tailored to their needs.

The SME scene is proving particularly successful in the UK and the government will be hopeful that Google’s Digital Garage Academy can continue this trend. Recently it was announced that more than 40,000 small businesses have benefitted from the government’s Super Connected Cities Scheme since it launched last year.