HUNTINGTON — Google’s Grow with Google initiative visited the Cabell County Public Library in Huntington on Friday to host public digital skills workshops and one-on-one training sessions with Google staff and librarians at no cost for interested individuals.
Grow with Google is an initiative aiming to assist job-seekers, small-business owners, entrepreneurs and any other members of the public interested in improving their digital skills, especially relating to the use of data analytics and online business presence.
“Here in Huntington, we seek to set standards that the rest of the nation will follow,” Huntington Mayor Steve Williams said. “As we embark into this technological revolution, we know our competition is no longer down the road, but across the world. Because of this partnership with Google, we will not be left behind.”
One specific goal of the tour is to help bridge the digital skills gap dividing certain Americans across the modern workforce.
According to a recent study by Burning Glass Technologies and Capital One, more than 80% of “middle-skill” jobs in America require workers to possess various digital skills. Furthermore, the National Middle Skills Initiative estimates about 57% of West Virginia’s workforce is comprised of workers of such jobs.
This year, Google also reported that more than 2,000 businesses, publishers and nonprofits in West Virginia utilize Google’s search and advertising tools to expand their services throughout local communities, contributing to about $222 million worth of economic activity.
“We’re excited to bring the national Grow with Google tour to West Virginia and … here in Huntington,” Beanca Nicholson, spokeswoman for Grow with Google, said. “Over the course of the day, we helped more than 100 people learn new skills that are critical in today’s digital economy. And, to extend the impact of today’s event, we trained employees of libraries, schools and nonprofits across the region so that they can share these free resources with their communities going forward.”
One of those participants Friday was Emily Hammond, who does communication for the state’s Department of Commerce.
“We learned a bit about search engine optimization, making sure that your website content is organized enough that Google can crawl it efficiently, so your information comes up when users conduct searches,” Hammond said. “This is really important. Google is the No. 1 search engine and everyone uses it, so you have to make sure your business is being found.”
According to Google’s support services, crawling is defined as “the process by which Googlebot discovers new and updated pages to be added to the Google index.”
Hammond said some of the skills she learned Friday also will help business owners like her father with advertising for their businesses, including her father’s small law firm in West Virginia, which she helps with as well.
“He needs to be able to make sure people are coming to his business and that people are aware of his services so he can make money,” she said. “That is the ultimate goal of a business: to provide service, make money and ensure you can feed yourself at the end of the day.”
Last year, Google invested $5 million in micro-grants to libraries across America via its partnership with the American Library Association. Starting Monday, local libraries across the state can apply for funding to establish or enhance their own programs aimed at increasing digital skills proficiency.