Helping Canadian small businesses get the digital skills needed to grow
This week Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) is celebrating Small Business Week. For over 40 years, this week has honoured Canadian entrepreneurs from coast-to-coast and their contribution to Canada's culture and economy. To mark the occasion, we’re sharing new tools and training programs that Canadian small businesses can use to grow their presence online, for free.
Small businesses are the lifeblood of the Canadian economy. They employ almost 70% of the private sector workforce and power almost 40% of Canada’s GDP. We see how technology is fueling Canadian business growth in the 235 million connections we make every month between Canadian businesses and their customers.
Google Career Certificate Scholarships for Digital Main Street Businesses
It’s no secret that businesses of all sizes are struggling to acquire and retain talent. Those who create growth opportunities for their employees have a much better shot at retaining them. To help business owners and their employees get the skills they need, beginning this week, we’re providing 1,000 Canadian small businesses in Digital Main Street’s community with Google Career Certificate scholarships. The scholarships will be provided on a first-come-first-serve basis for eligible businesses. This builds on our support of Digital Main Street’s work to help get businesses across Canada online.
Businesses can use Google Career Certificates to train their employees for jobs in data analytics, digital marketing & e-commerce, IT support, project management or user experience (UX) design. No experience is required, and employees can earn an industry recognized credential in three to six months of part-time study. For every scholarship we give, a business will be gaining capabilities and, at the same time, an employee will be growing new skills.
Introducing our new Holiday Hub for Canadian small businesses
As small businesses gear up for the holiday season, Google for Small Business has launched a holiday hub to help small businesses reach shoppers and prepare for the holiday rush. The hub features free tools, resources, and recommendations to capture holiday traffic.
On the hub, businesses will find out how to stand out on Google Search and Maps with a free Business Profile, how to show their live store inventory with Pointy, and how to promote products across Google with free product listings. The holiday hub is available in English and French.
A digital presence has opened many doors for businesses small and large across the country. As we take a moment to celebrate the businesses in our communities this week, we hope our new tools and training offerings are another way small businesses will continue to grow throughout the holiday season and beyond.
