Scott Beaumont
President, Asia Pacific
Our commitment to Asia Pacific’s small businesses
Technology can help businesses grow — but only if the people who lead and work for those businesses have the right skills. Today, on Micro-, Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) Day, we’re reaffirming our commitment to Asia Pacific’s small businesses — and putting education and training at the center of our efforts to help them succeed and grow.
Since 2015, we’ve trained 8.5 million MSMEs across the region through our Grow with Google programs and partnerships. We stepped up these efforts when the global pandemic hit, and we’ve seen the impact of working more closely with governments and other businesses to close skills gaps and create opportunities. Our Saphan Digital program in Thailand has trained over 100,000 small businesses, while the Accelerate Vietnam Digital 4.0 initiative has trained 650,000 people. But we recognise there’s much more work ahead to ensure that MSMEs are prepared for longer-term economic and technological change.
The Saphan Digital program was launched in 2020 in partnership with the Ministry of Commerce, Department of Business Development, and leading organizations in various industries. The program is designed to equip Thai businesses, NGOs and individuals with digital skills to maximize their business and employment opportunities. Based on Kantar Google Impact research, 75% of the participants said digital tools helped them keep their business running during COVID-19.
One of the businesses badly affected by the pandemic was JCR Trading, a seller of crispy fish as souvenirs to tourists visiting Chiang Mai. The owner, Julaprach Petchchang, looked for ways to pivot his business by targeting local residents and selling his products online. During one of the hands-on sessions, he took his business online by creating his first website.
The villagers of Baan Tawai in Chiang Mai, Thailand joined local Grow with Google classes and took their wood carving business online by listing their products in Google Business Profile (previously known as Google My Business). Number of visitors in Baan Tawai soon more than doubled, raising the village’s quality of life.
Over the next year and beyond, we’ll be deepening our existing programs to support small businesses and launching new ones — like Expand with Google in Japan, focusing on helping MSMEs build their capabilities in digital advertising and e-commerce. We’ll also be helping MSMEs find the skilled people they need by expanding access to Google Career Certificates, which develop in-demand skills like IT support, data analytics and user experience design. In partnership with learning institutions and nonprofits, we’re providing free scholarships for certificates in India, Indonesia and Singapore, and we’ll be offering the same opportunity in more countries soon — we’ve committed to providing over 250,000 scholarships across Asia Pacific in 2022.
Two months after earning a Google Career Certificate in UX Design Certificate, Yesha joined a company as a product designer.
To ensure that opportunities to learn new skills are equitable, we’ll continue to support nonprofits across the region. Since 2019, through our Google.org philanthropic arm, we’ve contributed over $11 million in grants that support underserved MSMEs. We have provided grant funding to Youth Business International reach more than 180,000 entrepreneurs through its Rapid Response and Recovery Program and to the The Asia Foundation working with its partners to train more than 225,000 people through the Go Digital ASEAN initiative, endorsed by the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on MSMEs.
Helping MSMEs in underserved parts of the region will continue to be a major priority — including $4 million in Google.org support for The Asia Foundation, which will expand Go Digital ASEAN with new training programs including green skills, cybersecurity and financial planning.
For many years, Wanida sold hydrangeas, avocados and traditional woven scarves in her village to tourists. When COVID-19 drastically reduced sales, she decided to enroll in Go Digital ASEAN training, where she learned how to use social media to reach new customers. As a result, her products started selling faster than ever before and Wanida was able to double her monthly income.
Octavia, Rias and Soleha are three of the entrepreneurs YBI’s Rapid Response and Recovery Programme program helped in Indonesia
Finally, we’ll keep playing our part to foster the next generation of businesses in Asia, through our Google for Startups programs, initiatives like the Women Founders Academy, and partnerships with governments like the ChangGoo program in Korea — which has helped 200 startups and created over 1,100 new jobs. Our developer programs — such as the Appscale Academy in India, a partnership with the MeitY Startup Hub — will continue to help app-makers (like health-technology startup Stamurai) grow globally.
Seojung Chang, founder of Korean childcare and education platform Jaranda, raised capital and achieved growth after attending a Google for Startups program.
Whether Asia Pacific’s entrepreneurs are long-established, or just starting out, we’re ready to help them adapt to change and thrive in the digital economy. And we look forward to celebrating their success.
Scott Beaumont
President, Asia Pacific
