#Google skills: tech giant on Africa Day
First workshop held in Soweto
AS PART of celebrating Africa Day, Google is kick-starting one of the first workshops designed to empower Africans with digital skills.
The first session is being conducted in Soweto, where entrepreneurs and job-seekers are assisted with using Google tools for business and career development.
The initiative’s value lies in the fact that future economic worth will be derived from digital skills.
According to a Mckinsey report, from 2013 to 2020 the internet will contribute as much as $300 billion (R3.8 trillion) in gross domestic product (GDP) and a similar amount in productivity gains.
The challenge, however, is that without relevant skills African economies will not reap the future economic rewards.
Last year, Google pledged to train a million young people in Africa in digital skills as part of its contribution towards growing Africa’s digital economy.
The Google workshop conducted in Soweto on Wednesday is part of a commitment by the technology giant to develop technology skills in Africa.
The workshop was attended by entrepreneurs and job-seekers who are guided by Google global employees in various Google tools that can enable a business to thrive online.
Last week’s initiative, the first of a series of live workshops in Africa, is part of the Accelerate with Google programme. It equips Googlers with funding and training materials to share their knowledge directly with communities that are under-represented online.
Accelerate with Google has produced such events around the US and is rapidly expanding internationally. It’s fuelled by the personal passion of Googlers who have grown up in cities or regions of the world with large populations not highly represented in the tech industry. The technology giant has partnered with various local partners to provide skills online and face-to-face with local communities.
This initiative by Google is also part of a realisation by the company to diversify. Google employees conducting workshops come from Europe, the US and other parts of the world and are assigned to work in communities as part of Google’s diversity programme.
The event is the first workshop in Soweto and Google’s success in developing local skills remains to be seen.
Follow #Googleskills and #Acceleratewithgoogle for more insights.
Wesley Diphoko is acting online editor for Business Report and head of Independent Media’s Digital Lab.