Google launches Digital Garages to give online training to 200,000 U.K. firms

In its latest effort to encourage small businesses to embrace the Internet (and also use its services), Google has announced a new Digital Garage project it says will be used to entice 200,000 U.K. small- to medium-sized businesses online by 2016.

Google is calling it a “multi-million pound programme” that will serve up digital skills training at pop-up venues throughout Britain, as well as through the web.

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Today’s news follows on from similar initiatives elsewhere. Last year, Google revealed its Grow Greek Tourism Online program, offering management courses to 3,000 tourism businesses on the island of Crete. And back in 2013, the Internet giant launched an initiative to provide small businesses from 20 Italian clusters a mentor and tutor to support them in identifying new ways to leverage the web.

Outside of Europe, Google has been pushing its services in a number of countries, including Kenya back in 2012, which saw a range of subsidized services provided to local traders and businesses to help them get set up online.

Google has introduced similar projects aimed at British companies in the past too. In 2012, Google partnered with the Welsh government to launch a year-long project designed to lure thousands of firms across Wales online, which was subsequently rolled out in other regions of the U.K. too. It’s also previously launched Google Juice Bars, featuring presentations, consultations, and advice on how to use Google tools.

The first of Google’s Digital Garage projects kicks off in the city of Leeds, and one of the first courses is entitled “Reach New Customers Online,” which pretty much does what it says on the box. The one-hour session with Google’s “expert trainer” will show companies how to enhance their visibility online, with some tips and tricks around digital marketing. This will presumably also include how to use Google’s own paid AdWords tool.

Google has also revealed that it’s providing funding for computer science in schools, covering training for 25,000 teachers in Leeds. This will be in partnership with Code Club Pro, Computing at Schools (CAS), and Raspberry Pi. As part of this, Google says it will donate Raspberry Pis for use in schools.

It’s difficult to argue that such initiatives from Google are anything other than positive for local business communities, but these moves may not be as altruistic as it first seems. While it will no doubt help sell Google’s own services, the company has also been facing an increasingly tough time in Europe, with some arguing that it doesn’t pay nearly enough taxes, others wagging fingers at its abuse of privacy, and that it’s a horrible monopolist.

With that in mind, Google has been doing a lot to win the hearts and minds of the public across the U.K. and Europe, and this latest endeavor fits into that nicely. Google wants to be seen as the good guy doing good things for countries, communities, and economies.