GOOGLE HOSTS FREE ‘GROW WITH GOOGLE’ TRAINING FOR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, JOBSEEKERS AT LONG BRANCH FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY

Mayor John Pallone Present to Address, Empower Participants, Give Remarks on Importance of Tech Skills

New Jersey Residents Get Unique Insights from YouTube Star Laura Vitale and Google Trainers to Grow Business Presences, Maximize Job Searches

Long Branch, NJ — Visiting Google presenters and coaches joined Long Branch Mayor John Pallone and New Jersey local YouTube Creator Laura Vitale to host free ‘Grow with Google’ workshops today at the Long Branch Free Public Library, with onsite instruction provided to local jobseekers, small business and nonprofit leaders on integral digital skills necessary in today’s world. ‘Grow with Google’ is the tech company’s initiative to help create economic opportunities for all Americans.

“We’re excited to have helped New Jersey small business owners and jobseekers learn new skills to grow their businesses and careers through today’s workshops, and remain committed to equipping Garden State residents with the skills needed in today’s digital economy,” said Erica Swanson, Google’s Head of Community Engagement.

[Credit: Eli Tawil]

Google worked with organizations across the state to attract attendees for a full day of workshops focused on free Google and YouTube tools and resources that can help New Jersey residents find the jobs they want, advance their careers and grow their businesses. To continue the impact of today’s event, local nonprofits – ranging from libraries and government agencies to educational institutions – were also introduced to the ‘Grow with Google’ Partner Program; a free network for local organizations which provides a range of training content, tools and promotional materials plus best practices to continue sharing ‘Grow with Google’ resources with their community.

Long Branch Mayor John Pallone was onsite at today’s event in support of Google’s digital training efforts. After touring the workshop space and meeting with Google and library staff, he gave remarks on the importance of tech workforce development and met with program participants. YouTube creator and New Jersey native Laura Vitale of Laura in the Kitchen was also on hand to share how she successfully built a YouTube Channel with over 3.5M subscribers and turned her passion for cooking into a career.

“The Long Branch Free Public Library provides many services and programs beyond a typical library, and today’s event with Google is just one example,” said Long Branch Mayor John Pallone. “With workshops like today’s, Google and LBFPL are creating a blueprint to reach residents and give them the skills necessary to learn and grow. I applaud today’s efforts, am honored to have been included and will continue to support digital skills development throughout our city and state.”

“It was so fantastic to meet so many small businesses today in Long Branch and talk to them about my experience building a business on YouTube. I truly believe that if I can succeed on YouTube, anyone can do it! People come to YouTube to learn, and all businesses can take advantage of that. My videos teach people how to cook, but think about the kinds of questions people might have about your business or service and create video content that will be helpful to them, such as how to use your products or answering questions about your industry. You can use YouTube for everything from connecting to a new audience to mining for new trends and insights,” explained Laura Vitale.

[Credit: Eli Tawil]

The stop in Long Branch is part of a broader ‘Grow with Google’ effort to bring in-person ‘Grow with Google’ workshops to jobseekers and small businesses across the country. Specifically, ‘Grow with Google’ aims to help address the skills gap by preparing Americans for middle-skill jobs, which typically require technical knowledge, but not necessarily four year degrees. Since launching in October, 2017, ‘Grow with Google’ has trained more than three million Americans across 38 states and 73 cities or towns.

Public libraries have been natural and valuable partners in bringing ‘Grow with Google’ resources to communities across the country. According to the American Library Association, nearly three-quarters of libraries already have job development programming in place and 90% are helping patrons learn basic digital skills. Starting December 9, libraries will be able to apply for funding to kickstart their own digital skills programming. Last year, ‘Grow with Google’ committed $1 million in microgrants to libraries across the country, through their partnership with the American Library Association.

[Credit: Eli Tawil]

“Today’s workshops were a big success, and we appreciate all the hard work our staff and the Grow with Google team put into them,” said Tonya Garcia, Director of the Long Branch Free Public Library. “The American economy is fundamentally changing, making digital literacy necessary to get ahead. Libraries play an outsized role in equipping people with these skills, which is why we partnered with Google and Mayor Pallone to make today happen. We’re happy to have hosted this event, and look forward to similar initiatives down the road.”

In its 2018 Economic Impact Report, Google announced that 36,000 businesses in New Jersey generated $7.7B in economic activity by using Google’s search and advertising tools. The full report details Google’s economic impact state-by-state, and features the stories of businesses fueling that growth, creating job opportunities and transforming their communities. According to a conjoint report by Burning Glass and Capital One, more than 8 in 10 middle-skill jobs (82%) require digital skills.

About ‘Grow with Google’

Grow with Google draws on Google’s 20-year history of building products, platforms, and services that help people and businesses grow. Through this initiative, we aim to help everyone across America – those who make up the workforce of today and those who will drive the workforce of tomorrow – access the best of Google’s training and tools to grow their skills, careers, and businesses. For more information, please visit Google.com/Grow.