Photo courtesy techcrunch
STARTING way ahead of the onslaught of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, more than 100,000 micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) owners and employees have been successfully trained by Google’s digital skilling program MSME Caravan which began since 2019 and continued on through virtual events to provide MSMEs acquire digital skills that would help them pivot during critical times.
The MSMA Caravan was initiated in partnership with several stakeholders, including the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), as a local Grow with Google program which aims to train small entrepreneurs on how to grow their businesses using digital tools such as Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) and Primer app alongside access to experts.
According to Google, it believes that digital adoption is critical for any business to succeed and when the pandemic hit some three years ago, going online became an imperative, so the American multinational technology company strove to digitize as many small enterprises as possible.
“With the impact of MSME Caravan reaching more than a hundred thousand trainees, we’re deeply grateful to our partners, including the Department of Trade and Industry, who made this possible with us. We hope this program will create a ripple effect and help more small business owners reap the benefits of our growing digital economy,” Google Philippines country director Bernadette Nacario pointed out.
In response, trade and industry secretary Ramon Lopez note that MSMEs are the backbone of the country’s economy and as such, helping them thrive online is part of the mission of DTI: “We’re glad to partner with Google, and we hope that our joint digital upskilling program will continue to help and lead more MSMEs towards economic recovery.”
