Facebook launches digital and startup training hubs in India

These online training hubs are aimed at training half a million people by 2020.

Facebook has launched digital and startup training hubs in India with the aim of training small businesses in digital skills. The training will enable them to compete with the larger companies and grow their businesses.

Digital skills are important to excel in this digitally advanced world, whether you are an individual or an organisation.

These online training hubs by the social media giant, will train half a million people by 2020. It has partnered with local organisations in the country to provide digital skills and train those who need jobs, help small businesses and NGOs get started with the Internet, so that they can expand their operations and business.

The curriculum for training the people has been developed with the help of local organisations, such as Digital Vidya, EDII, DharmaLife and StartupIndia. The learning curriculum is available in English and Hindi, on the mobile and is personalised to suit individual needs of the people.

The training will be imparted on how to protect one’s ideas, how to hire, how to go about getting funding, what regulations and legal hurdles one needs to consider, how to build an online reputation, and other digital skills.

These digital training hubs will provide free social and content marketing training to students and business owners online. They will learn how to build and create an audience, how to create content, how to measure online activity, and so on. It will help them in personal branding, digital storytelling, consumer behaviour and reputation management. 

The startup training hubs will provide online training to the startups in designing and building products, services and business plans. They will help startups get acquainted with the basics of setting up a business, such as idea protection, regulations, business planning, market research, hiring, funding, company expansion, and so on.

Given the lack of digital skills in India, these training hubs by Facebook are expected to have greater impact on the growth of small businesses in the country. The social media giant has skilled and trained thousands of small businesses and women entrepreneurs in India, since 2011. The digital training will also create more new jobs and opportunities in the country.

Ritesh Mehta, head of programmes, Facebook, India & South Asia, said, “Digital skills unlock opportunities, empower people to dream big, build products, grow businesses and foster communities. We believe the best way to prepare India for a digital economy is by equipping people with the tools, knowledge, and skills they need to succeed. We want more people to have the opportunity to build their skills, build a business or build something for their community —because investing in people can lead to incredible things.”