Google hosted an all-day digital skills training program for local residents, small businesses and nonprofits at the Roanoke Public Libraries Main Library in Roanoke on Monday, March 4. The efforts were put on by “Grow with Google,” the company’s initiative to create economic opportunities for all Americans, and included four hands-on workshops for educators, small businesses and jobseekers.
State Senator John Edwards was on hand to welcome attendees. After being introduced as a champion of the library, Edwards expressed appreciation for Google’s efforts saying, “We’re really proud of the fact that Grow with Google has decided to have its first Virginia program here in Roanoke. We in Roanoke believe in progress, we believe in forward looking, and we’ve gone from what some people say ‘the train town’ to ‘the brain town’ in recent years.”
The Senator went on to discuss the importance of how Google is transforming communities adding, “We realize that technology is transforming the world, and is transforming how we do business everywhere. Grow with Google has implemented this great idea of going around teaching people how to improve their use of technology.”
Leadership from the library reminded participants that the library is there for the community.
“The vision of Roanoke Public Libraries is to create services that engage, educate and empower citizens. Everyday we work to support small business development, job searches and technology skills,” said Library Director Sheila S. Umberger. “By partnering with Google for a Grow with Google event in Roanoke, Virginia, the community will be able to attend free workshops to grow and strengthen important digital skills. The more Google shares with us, the more they can help you.”
“We’re excited to bring the national Grow with Google tour to Virginia and to be here in Roanoke. Over the course of the day, we helped more than one hundred people learn new skills that are critical in today’s digital economy. And, to extend the impact of today’s event, we trained 100 trainers from libraries, schools, and nonprofits across the region so that they can share these free resources with their communities going forward,” said Jamie Hill of Google.
The event began with a workshop for library administrators and education professionals on free Google tools for helping jobseekers, and concluded with best practices for protecting information online. In addition to interactive courses, Google also gave attendees one-on-one coaching sessions for its various professional services, including Google AdWords, Gmail and others.
Google’s Roanoke visit is part of a larger library tour to increase tech literacy in America. Recognizing that libraries have become hubs for digital skills learning, the company is stopping at libraries in each state across the country. Virginia marks the fourth state on the tour, with stops in Herndon and Richmond also taking place later this week.
To support this effort, Google created the “Grow with Google Partner Program” to empower nonprofits, libraries and a host of other organizations with a range of digital skills resources. Organizations apply to the program and once accepted can use it as a hub for training content, tools and promotional materials. Partners can leverage customized toolkits for getting started, hosting trainings as well as sharing Grow with Google programs and resources with their community.
Beginning on March 4, libraries in Virginia are now able to apply for funds to kickstart their own digital skills programming. Last year, Grow with Google committed $1-million in micro-grants to libraries across the country through their partnership with the American Library Association.
In addition to Roanoke Public Libraries, Google also partnered with a number of businesses and organizations to put on the event. Google will explore further job training opportunities with these organizations following its visit.
Developing a tech-savvy workforce is particularly important in Virginia’s economy. According to the National Skills Coalition, “middle-skills jobs” (positions which require some skills but not four year degrees) account for 49% of all jobs in Virginia while only 39% of state workers have the requisite skills. A recent study by Burning Glass and Capital One found that 82% of these jobs require digital skills.
According to the American Library Association, nearly three-quarters of public libraries assist their patrons with job applications and interviewing skills, 90% help their patrons learn basic digital skills, and just under half provide access and assistance to entrepreneurs looking to start a business of their own.
Grow with Google is a new initiative to help create economic opportunities for Americans. The program draws on Google’s 20-year history of building products, platforms, and services that help people and businesses grow. Through this initiative, we aim to help everyone across America – those who make up the workforce of today and those who will drive the workforce of tomorrow – access the best of Google’s training and tools to grow their skills, careers, and businesses. For more information, please visit Google.com/Grow.
