Our commitment to Asia Pacific’s small businesses

Technology can help businesses, but only if they have the right people. On Micro-, Small- and Medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) Day, we are putting education and training at the center of our efforts to help them succeed and grow.

In the last three years, we have trained over 8 million Micro, Small and Medium Businesses in the region. When the global Pandemic hit, we stepped up our efforts to close skills gaps and create opportunities for people. Over 100,000 small businesses in Thailand have been trained by the Saphan Digital program. We know there is more work to be done to ensure that Micro, Small and Medium Businesses are prepared for the future.

Expanding our existing programs to support small businesses and launching new ones will be some of the things we will do over the next year and a half. We will be helping the Micro, Small and Medium enterprises find the skilled people they need by expanding access to Google Career Certificates, which develop in-demand skills like IT support, data analytic and user experience design. In partnership with learning institutions and nonprofits, we are giving away free scholarships for certificates in India, Indonesia and Singapore, and we will be giving the same opportunity in more countries soon.

We want opportunities to learn new skills to be equitable. We have contributed over $11 million in grants to support underserved Micro, Small and Medium Businesses. We have provided grant funding to help Youth Business International reach more than 180,000 entrepreneurs through its Rapid Response and Recovery Program, as well as to The Asia Foundation, which is working with its partners to train more than 225,000 people through the Go Digital ASEAN initiative

Four million dollars in support of The Asia Foundation will be used to help Micro, Small and Medium enterprises (MSMEss) in underserved parts of the region.

Over 1,100 new jobs have been created through partnerships with governments like the ChangGoo program in Korea, as well as through initiatives like the Women Founders Academy. The Appscale Academy in India is one of the programs that will help app-makers grow globally.

We are ready to help entrepreneurs adapt to change in the digital economy. We are excited to celebrate their success.