Meta launches two digital skilling programs for small businesses in India

Meta has launched two new skilling programs for small businesses in India. One of them is through the Meta-Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) partnership under which one million traders on the WhatsApp Business App will be trained over the next three years. The second initiative is the launch of Meta Small Business Academy, which is part of Meta’s commitment made in 2021 to up-skill 10 million small businesses. 

The partnership between CAIT and Meta will be conducted through thousands of trade associations connected with CAIT all over the Country. “Under the ‘WhatsApp Se Vyapaar’ campaign, we are thrilled to announce that we will work with Meta to train 1 million traders to digitally empower traders to boost their businesses using the WhatsApp Business App,” said  Praveen Khandelwal, national secretary general, CAIT. He also added that the association will partner closely with Meta to ‘expand the business and digital skilling charter in the months’.

Further, the training under the Meta Small Business Academy will help entrepreneurs and marketers learn digital marketing skills to grow on Meta apps. The program, course module, and examinations will be in seven languages – English, Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu.

“While the MSBA certification will particularly benefit entrepreneurs who are just starting out, our partnership with CAIT will empower traders across India to use WhatsApp Business app to connect with their customers and supercharge their growth journeys,” said Sandhya Devanathan, vice president (India), at Meta.

A 2022 study commissioned by Meta and conducted by IPSOS Public Affairs showed that 91% of small and medium enterprises currently using digital tools said that messaging apps and services are an important way to connect with customers. More than half said that WhatsApp helped them connect with new customers.