Google
launched its first “digital garage”, a multi-million pound project it
said would help 200,000 small British businesses harness the Internet to
grow.
The
U.S. company, which has been under fire in Europe for its dominance in
search and other digital services, said last month it would train 1
million Europeans in Internet skills by 2016, including building an
online hub to support small enterprises.
Its
first “garage” – a drop-in centre that will advise on building a mobile
website, developing e-commerce and optimising internet search rankings –
will open in the northern English city of Leeds on March 30 for six
months, before moving to the next of five British cities in total.
Eileen
Naughton, Google’s managing director of UK and Ireland, said less than
30 percent of small businesses had an effective online presence, and
Google wanted to “jump start” the other 70 percent.
“We
understand (small businesses) don’t have the benefit of large IT tech
infrastructure and development, and they need our assistance in this
area disproportionately more than a large business would,” she said in
an interview.
“We’ve
never set up an outpost in a city – in a garage – as we have here in
Leeds, and offered these services openly. For us, it’s an exciting
experiment.”
Posted by : Gizmeon
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