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Key Partners
Status
Start year of the initiative:
2014 – still ongoing.
Next steps of initiative:
Maximize the scope in 2015. Plan to double efforts and extend reach, further supporting the SME ecosystem.
Impact
Country(ies) of impact:
Italy
Number of people impacted annually:
105 young graduates working in Chamber of Commerce
Time to intended impact:
Less than 2 years
Metrics:
- Number of partnerships developed
- Content of training modules
- Number of SMEs and entrepreneurs
- Number of three to six month internships offered to young graduates
Benefit to organization:
- Indirect benefit to organization
Key Partners
Status
Start year of the initiative:
2014 – still ongoing.
Next steps of initiative:
Maximize the scope in 2015. Plan to double efforts and extend reach, further supporting the SME ecosystem.
Impact
Country(ies) of impact:
Italy
Number of people impacted annually:
105 young graduates working in Chamber of Commerce
Time to intended impact:
Less than 2 years
Metrics:
- Number of partnerships developed
- Content of training modules
- Number of SMEs and entrepreneurs
- Number of three to six month internships offered to young graduates
Benefit to organization:
- Indirect benefit to organization
Made in Italy
Submitted by Google
Objective
To enable Italian small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to become global players by helping them develop digital skills and become online exporters.
Overview and Main Activities
This two-year programme was established by Google in partnership with the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, the Minister of Economic Development, Association of Chambers of Commerce, the University of Venice and the Symbola Foundation.
The programme includes several components:
- Free eLearning path to develop digital skills; new online lessons are released periodically (developed with University of Venice)
- Free export online toolkit to help SME evaluate their potential on several global markets and draft an export plan on the programme platform; case studies are also available on the platform
- Local outreach support, including local roadshows
In collaboration with the Association of the Chambers of Commerce, Google trained 105 young graduates who have since been hosted in 51 local Chambers of Commerce across Italy, where they provide free, individual support to traditional SMEs, with face-to-face meeting, workshops and free online training.
Graduates work at six-month internships in the Chambers of Commerce and organize:
- Educational workshops to help SMEs understand the importance of the internet and how to develop digital skills
- Free workshops and face-to-face meetings to further support SMEs to develop a digital marketing strategy
A group of Google employees is responsible for training the young graduates and support them along their internships for special deep dive or technical questions around digital marketing topics.
During the first year of the programme, +200,000 SMEs have been engaged on export tools and trainings available on the programme’s online platform (www. eccellenzeindigitale.it) and +20,000 SMEs have been reached by young digitizers in events and training sessions across Italy.
Success Factors and Challenges
Most critical success factors:
- Partnership with institutional organization and government bodies
- Ongoing media coverage
- Long-term commitment/duration towards the practice
Main challenges:
- Finding the proper budget to multiply internships, which provide concrete local support
- Building relationships with public institutions
Replicability and Scalability
How easily could other organizations implement this initiative?
Difficult: This initiative can be scaled according to the right partners and relevant offer.
How easily can this initiative be expanded to include a larger number of participants?
Easy: Depending on the investment.
About the Organization
Website: www.google.com
Sector: Information Technology
Size (number of employees): 50,000 – 100,000
Headquarters: Mountain View, United States