Google Training for Highlands & Islands Students to Help Them Make the Most of Digital

9th March 2018

Google's Digital Garage team, which offers free digital training to people of all ages to help them find a job, grow in their career and or business, is coming to four Highlands and Islands campuses this month to give students advice on how best to sell their skills to a new employer.

As part of employability month, mentors from Google Digital Garage will travel to Alness, Inverness, Thurso and Kirkwall in Orkney to advise on how you can create a CV that shines. The first session is at Inverness College UHI on Monday (March 12).

Open to students and the local community, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), the University of Highlands and Islands and Google have come together to make the training possible. More sessions may be available in further areas later in the year.

Helen Anton, Careers and Employability Officer at the University of the Highlands and Islands, said: "We're planning a number of sessions on Employability in March across the University. We look forward to welcoming Google and hearing their unique take on how to present your skills in an increasingly digital workplace."

HIE is supporting a number of initiatives this year as part of the Year of Young People in Scotland. April Conroy from HIE's digital demonstration centre #hellodigital said: "Google have run some great sessions for our business community. We are pleased to see them opening their advice up to our talented young people in the region. Digital skills are essential and how you use these to present yourself when you apply for a job is a key part of that."

Ronan Harris, Google UK & Ireland's Managing Director, said: "We are delighted to bring the Google Digital Garage to the far north of Scotland and ensure everyone has access to free digital skills workshops.

"We hope you'll pop in and get the skills you need to become more confident online, grow your career, and maybe even launch the next big idea."

This is part of Google's goal to help 100,000 people across the UK find a job or grow in their career through digital skills training over the next three years.

According to The Good Things Foundation, 90% of new UK jobs require digital literacy. Yet three quarters of UK businesses say they cannot find highly skilled workers, and less than half of 18- to 25-year-olds believe their education gives them the skills they need to enter today's workforce. Google launched its Digital Garage in the UK two years ago to help address this gap in opportunity and provide people in the UK with the skills they need to find a job, grow in their career or grow their business.

Find out more and register online at http://hellodigital.scot/events/ The full list of dates is:

12 March 2018 Build Your CV - Google at Inverness College UHI

21 March 2018 Build Your CV - Google in Alness at North Highland College UHI

21 March 2018 Build Your CV - Google in Thurso at North Highland College UHI

22 March 2018 Build Your CV - Google in Kirkwall at Orkney College UHI