It is becoming ever more apparent that to establish trading in the Digital Economy all Irish SMEs (Small to Medium Enterprises), from sole-trader to micro to medium sized, need to have an online digital presence. This means using at least the minimum digital channel of a ‘Google friendly’ website to reach and drive customers to a particular business.
Galway Chamber has long been an advocate of the internet as a marketing tool for business and we set up our website www.shopgalway.com in 2005 to allow business to promote their special offers in a free and user friendly way.
A report on Information Society and Telecommunications (ICT) released by the CSO in December 2009 shows that while 95% of enterprises had a computer connected to the internet only 66% had a website or homepage.
Businesses will need increasingly high levels of skills and greater technical capability to respond effectively to the opportunities and threats posed by globalisation and advances in digital technology.
With this in mind, WebActivate is an innovative programme designed by Digital Skills Academy and delivered in partnership with the Digital Hub, the Chambers of Commerce and leading Further Education Colleges in the participating cities. In Galway the partners are Galway Technical Institute and Galway Chamber.
The programme is funded by the government Labour Market Activation Fund and the courses are free of charge to participants. There are no fees or charges for the SMEs providing work placements in the programme.
Digital Skills Academy: is based in the Digital Hub in the heart of Dublin. Building on many decades of accumulated experience in Internet & Digital Media, the Academy offers the highest standard of multidisciplinary training in digital skills.
Galway Chamber invites SME members to express an interest in providing work placements for course participants.
The WebActivate programme will provide participants with specific skills in digital media, and allied sectors, along with broader e-skills increasingly in demand across all industry sectors. WebActivate is a high-quality training programme delivered by an expert group of quality assured trainers. The aim is to equip participants with the necessary skills to effectively design and publish websites for businesses with no previous online presence.
This will be achieved through completion of a suite of FETAC modules which ensure proficiency in internet publishing and on-line marketing. Among other, these modules include: Internet publishing, iMarketing, Social media marketing, Publishing Google Maps, Digital photography & web publishing
Participants will also be trained as trainers so that they will be in a position to transfer their newly acquired skills and learning into the businesses with which they are placed.
Work placements will commence at the end of September 2010.
Following their 6 weeks ‘In-Centre’ training, each participant will spend 12 weeks with 3 different SMEs. In this time they will create websites and coach employees on how to maximise business via their newly achieved web presence at no cost to the employer.
During work placement the course participants will attend their designated training centres one day a week for classes, ongoing mentoring and coaching from their expert trainers. Each participant will be equipped with a Notebook computer, software and 3G broadband, all of which are provided through the WebActivate programme. Anyone interested in hosting trainee placements and “Web-Activating” their business should contact Maeve Joyce at Galway Chamber on 091 563536
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