MANILA, Philippines, March 2021–As part of its ongoing commitment to help the country towards economic recovery, Google and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) launched MSME Caravan Mondays, a series of free digital upskilling training sessions for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). 

Initially presented in February 2020 in partnership with the DTI, MSME Caravan is a local Grow with Google program which aims to help small businesses grow through a wide array of digital tools such as Google My Business and Primer app, as well as access to experts. Amid the pandemic, the training initiative has reached more than 30,000 MSMEs nationwide to date via virtual events and partnerships. 

Google introduced more economic recovery initiatives in October 2020 to help small businesses cope with some of the challenges of COVID-19. These programs include free listings on the Google shopping tab for retailers, Google Maps for local tourism and free social media webinars on negosyo and digital tips. 

This 2021, Google and DTI are launching MSME Caravan Mondays to further help small businesses through a series of free webinars about digital tools and skills. 

MSME Caravan Mondays will be held weekly starting March 8 to April 26 on DTI’s Facebook page (DTI Philippines) at 10:00 AM. Each training session will be uploaded on DTI’s YouTube channel right after. Attendees should register at: bit.ly/GoogleMSMECaravanMondays.

Featuring speakers from Google, the topics of the webinars will be as follows:

  • Search Tools Available for Insights (March 8)
  • Google My Business and DTI Partnership (March 15)
  • Google Workspace for Your Business (March 22)
  • Basics of Analytics (March 29)
  • Advanced Analytics (April 5)
  • Google Ads 101 (April 12)
  • Special Sessions on eCommerce (April 19)
  • Special Sessions on Food Businesses (April 26)

Each module will run for approximately 60 minutes which includes a live Q&A segment towards the end. 

“The pandemic continues to compound the need for digital transformation and Google is committed to help small businesses every step of the way,” said Bernadette Nacario, Country Director – Philippines, Google. “Together with our partners from the public and private sectors, we will continue to close the gap in digital opportunity—to shape an internet economy that can help power the Philippines’ recovery from COVID-19 and improve the lives of Filipinos.” 

“Digitalizing our entrepreneurs plays an important role in economic recovery and brightening the hopes of our MSMEs. We are grateful to our many partners like Google who consistently help small businesses bounce back using the opportunities of the growing digital economy. We hope that informative activities like the MSME Caravan Mondays will help a lot of local businesses with the right knowledge and tools to succeed,” said Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez.

Join the MSME Caravan Mondays weekly from March 8 until April 26, 2021 at the DTI’s Facebook page (DTI Philippines). Register via: bit.ly/GoogleMSMECaravanMondays. 

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