Tag: Google

Google offers 39,000 scholarships to aid Filipinos with in-demand, job-ready skills

Post author By Jean Cabico
Post date September 29, 2022

Google-Career-Certificates

Manila, Philippines – Tech giant Google has announced that it will provide 39,000 Google Career Certificate scholarships to equip Filipino students and job seekers from underserved communities with job-ready skills. This aims to help them land career opportunities in high-demand industries such as IT.

The Google Career Certificates provide a suite of flexible online training programs available on Coursera.org. These certificates, built and taught by Google, are designed to provide learners from all backgrounds with digital skills within an estimated time of three to six months. The four certificate options that Google provides are IT Support, UX Design, Data Analytics, and Project Management, which are available for everyone aged 18 and above and require no previous degree or experience.

“Google is committed to supporting the Philippines’ economic growth through the opportunities created by the country’s growing digital economy. With the unemployment rate at 5.2% and rapidly growing job postings in tech, Google hopes to address the digital skills gap and improve the lives of thousands of Filipinos for themselves and their families by providing free Google Career Certificates,” said Bernadette Nacario, country director of Google Philippines.

Moreover, Google will be working closely with local partners such as the Globe Group and government stakeholders, including the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Information and Communications Technology, to distribute the scholarships. These distribution partners will nominate qualified recipients and track the progress of the scholars.

Yoly Crisanto, Globe’s group chief sustainability and corporate communications officer, noted, “Empowering today’s workforce with digital and job-ready skills is important to lead the country towards economic development. The Globe Group is honoured to play a vital role in the Google Career Certificates program in the Philippines that will help 39,000 young Filipinos with advanced IT courses.”

Meanwhile, Alfredo Pascual, secretary at the Department of Trade and Industry, said, “As we continue to move towards inclusive growth and employment generation, programs like the Google Career Certificate scholarships are invaluable to our mission of creating globally competitive industries. We laud Google for launching this initiative that will bridge 39,000 students and jobseekers to in-demand career opportunities in tech and IT.”

Atty. Ivan John Enrile Uy, secretary at the Department of Information and Communications Technology, commented, “We thank Google for launching this high-impact program in the country that will not just create career pathways for thousands of Filipinos but will help the Department champion the economic benefits of a digital Philippines.”

Tags Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Scholarships, Philippines, Southeast Asia, IT, Google, Globe

Platforms Featured South Asia

Google faces pressure to stop illegal digital lending applications in India

Post author By Teddy Cambosa
Post date September 20, 2022

Google faces pressure to stop illegal digital lending applications in India

India – Tech giant Google is in hot water recently, as it is being asked by Indian authorities and the central bank to put stringent measures in place against illegal digital lending applications uploaded on Google’s Play Store, according to an exclusive report from Reuters.

According to the report, Google and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have been meeting in the past few months to urge tougher checks and balances that can help in weeding out such apps.

Multiple local regulators have long pushed Indian lenders to have stricter checking on new lending app players. Some of the ‘red flags’ for illegal lender apps include charging excessive interest rates and fees or in recovery practices which are not authorised by the central bank or violate money laundering and other government guidelines.

A Google spokesperson said, “We have removed over 2,000 personal loan apps targeting India from the Play Store for violation of the Play policy requirements. We will continue to engage with law enforcement agencies and industry bodies to help address this issue.”

While India’s central bank requires that any lending apps listed on app stores be backed by regulated entities, it is up to Google to enforce this and monitor compliance. The tech giant has also been asked to look at curtailing the rise of such apps via other distribution channels such as websites and other means of downloads.

Tags Reserve Bank of India, Digital lending, Mobile app, India, Google

Technology Featured Southeast Asia

Google announces multiple initiatives across AI innovation with SG gov’t

Post author By Teddy Cambosa
Post date August 23, 2022

Google announces multiple initiatives across AI innovation with SG gov’t

Singapore – Tech giant Google, through Google Cloud, has announced partnership with Singapore’s Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG) to strengthen AI cooperation in Singapore, including co-creating solutions, deepen AI capabilities in public service, and shape AI governance and ethics.

Google’s parent company Alphabet and its other subsidiaries will work closely with SNDGG’s National AI Office and other government agencies to co-create, test-bed, and scale AI solutions in key sectors like finance, sustainability, and healthcare.

In addition, Google Cloud will provide dedicated training resources and certification programs to cultivate deep AI and machine learning proficiency for identified public sector officers. These programs reinforce Google Cloud’s commitment to bridging the AI talent gap, and will build on Google’s Skills Ignition SG training program in partnership with SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).

Lastly, Google Cloud will support the Singapore government’s efforts to shape AI governance and ethics in key sectors like finance. These efforts complement Google’s involvement in Singapore’s Advisory Council of the Ethical Use of AI.

Sherie Ng, country director for Singapore and Malaysia at Google Cloud, said, “Already recognized as a leading smart city, Singapore has continued to grow in stature as a global center of AI innovation and real-world application. It is a privilege to be the first technology company to enter into a partnership with SNDGG’s National AI Office to co-develop and deploy new AI solutions of value and relevance to Singaporeans and the future economy.”

She added, “Through this public-private collaboration in the field of AI, we aim to advance the technology’s ability to deliver greater societal benefit in areas like financial inclusion, carbon footprint reduction, and personalised healthcare, while ensuring equity, privacy, transparency, and accountability.”

Meanwhile, Chng Zhenzhi, director of the National AI Office at SNDGG, commented, “This MOU is a win-win collaboration. Singapore will benefit from Google’s deep technical expertise and investments, while Google can tap on our rich innovation ecosystem. Singapore can also be a test-bed for Google’s efforts to trial new solutions safely, before introducing them to the region and beyond.”

She added, “With the MOU, we can look forward to novel AI solutions that will make an impact on the way Singaporeans – and people around the world – live and work. This is one of the many examples of how the public service and private sector can come together to undertake innovative projects for the greater good.”

Tags Singapore, Artificial Intelligence, Google, Google Cloud, Smart Nation and Digital Government Group

Marketing Featured Southeast Asia

Cartelux rolls out centralised digital marketing solution across Ford Motors APAC

Post author By Christian Calma
Post date June 15, 2022

Cartelux rolls out centralised digital marketing solution across Ford Motors APAC

Thailand – Australian ad tech company Cartelux, has announced a partnership with Ford Motors ASEAN and Google which will see its centralised digital marketing solution rolled out across Ford’s ASEAN dealer network.

Referred to by Google as ‘the future of automotive retail’, Cartelux announced the partnership at Google’s Think Dealer APAC event, where Cartelux presented the keynote, along with speakers from customers, Ford, and MINI (part of the BMW Group).

The program for Ford in Thailand began in late 2021, followed by South-East Asia (SEA). As part of Ford’s ongoing innovation partnership with Google, Cartelux technology allows Ford to drive local innovation by simplifying and automating the ad creation, approval, and media buying processes. Cartelux enables the dynamic personalisation and localisation of creative assets by each dealer while delivering a consistent brand campaign for Ford. Using Cartelux, Ford dealers can create and amplify ad campaigns in 60 seconds, providing the ability to react quickly to changing market conditions.

Saruth Ingkavat, marketing director at Ford Thailand, said that the Cartelux technology allows dealers to easily launch their own, personalised digital campaigns to drive more traffic and leads to their dealerships and websites.

“It saves both time and money that dealers would otherwise have spent on setting up, producing, and amplifying their own campaigns. Being able to innovate and deliver campaigns quickly will enhance our agility within a complex and highly competitive retail market,” Ingkavat said.

Ingkavat added, “Initial results have been highly encouraging. Beyond the ability, for dealers to create fully compliant campaigns in less than 60 seconds, and regardless of their digital literacy, Cartelux allows the OEM to control advertising in each dealer’s physical territory. We have seen significant search uplift in provinces where we are running Cartelux activity.”

Irin Khandhajavana SEA & MENA lead, Automotive at Google, shared “Cartelux allows dealers to participate in Google’s global knowledge pool, creating access to campaign professionality in a simple and time-efficient manner. By partnering with Cartelux and Ford, we established a link between Google’s world-class media targeting capability, retail networks, and consumers, together we ensure the message is making the last mile to the right consumer and the right time. We saw search volumes for Ford triple.”

Ford has also introduced Online to Offline tracking (O2O), to measure those exposed to the campaign online who then go on to take an offline action, such as visiting a dealer or purchasing a car. This innovation takes tracking beyond standard media analytics and provides a 360-degree view of campaign performance and how online efforts drive offline action. Allowing professional performance marketing for each individual dealer.

Meanwhile, Patrick Doble, global general manager at Cartelux, commented, “Google’s partnership with Ford is transforming how automotive businesses innovate.”

“We’re excited to partner with Google to enable Ford to further improve customer experiences with differentiated technology and personalised services,” Doble adds.

Initially adopted by the automotive industry, the need to solve video on a global scale has seen Cartelux secure several new multinational clients across a range of verticals. Cartelux is enabling national sales companies and their local area marketers to leverage the power of scalable video on a local, regional or global scale.

The company is seeing significant growth both domestically and internationally and announced key hires to the executive team: Hervé Genin, general manager EMEA, last year, and Kristin Harder, global head of strategy and partnerships, this year.

Tags Google, Partnership, Cartelux, Ford Motors APAC, digital marketing solution

Marketing Featured APAC

Google announces policy updates to combat financial fraud in advertising

Post author By Teddy Cambosa
Post date June 10, 2022

Google announces policy updates to combat financial fraud in advertising

Singapore – Tech giant Google has recently announced new policy updates in order to combat financial fraud in advertising. First launched in the United Kingdom in 2021, the policy will roll out in phases in Australia, Singapore and Taiwan.

According to an online statement from Alejandro Borgia, director for ads privacy and safety at Google, the new policy creates a new layer of security against fraudsters and will help further safeguard their network from financial scams.

As it rolls out in the three aforementioned markets, advertisers will be able to apply for verification at the end of June, and the policy will go into effect on August 30, 2022. As part of the verification process, financial services advertisers in these markets will need to demonstrate that they are authorised by their relevant financial services regulator, and have completed Google’s advertiser verification program in order to begin promoting their products and services.

“We work tirelessly to make sure the ads we serve are safe and trustworthy, and we know that partnering and collaborating with government regulators is critical to our success. That’s why we’re closely coordinating with regulators in these three markets to make sure this program is effective at scale. In the coming months, we plan to further expand these verification requirements to advertisers in additional countries and regions,” Borgia said.

This is the latest policy from Google to tackle online fraud in advertising. In 2020, they launched their advertiser verification program that will require Google advertisers to verify and disclose information about their businesses, such as where they operate and what they’re selling or promoting.

“This policy is just the latest step in our longstanding effort to tackle online fraud. We have robust policies in place to prohibit bad actors from deceiving people through tactics such as phishing, using clickbait, or providing misleading information about a product, service or business. We also have strict rules about how advertisers can market financial products such as loans and debt services,” Borgia added.

Tags Advertising, Google, policy, online fraud

Platforms Featured Southeast Asia

PH’s Securities and Exchange Commission team up with Google PH to screen crypto ads

Post author By Teddy Cambosa
Post date May 27, 2022

PH’s Securities and Exchange Commission team up with Google PH to screen crypto ads

Manila, Philippines – The country’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has teamed up with tech giant Google to require advertisers offering cryptocurrency exchanges and wallets targeting the Philippine audience to present proof of their registration and/or license to operate in the country.

Starting on July 7 this year, the new regulation measures by SEC and Google is part of the commission’s regulatory compliance from entities doing business online in order to protect the investing public and other financial consumers.

Furthermore, its also adds to Google’s existing policy that requires all advertisers to comply with local laws for any area that their advertisements target. Google will take appropriate action to address any violations.

Emilio B. Aquino, chairperson at SEC, said, “This continuing partnership with Google will help the Commission fulfill its mandate as registrar and overseer of the Philippine corporate sector, as well as protector of the investing public, in the digital age.”

The SEC has consistently reminded the public to be vigilant and exercise due diligence before transacting or dealing with any entity, and those based abroad without any registration or license to do business in the Philippines.

It has also sought to educate the public on legitimate investment options through investor protection and financial literacy campaigns online. Over the course of the pandemic, the commission has observed that several entities have taken advantage of the online space to spread investment scams supposedly engaged in cryptocurrency trading when in reality, these do not exist.

“We believe the new policy can reduce the number of Filipinos falling prey to unregistered investment schemes online, who are usually victims of aggressive online advertising and intrusive tactics that make them believe in products that are often too good to be true,” Aquino stated.

As the national government regulatory agency tasked with supervising the corporate sector, entities doing business in the Philippines must first register with the SEC, in general. Meanwhile, operators of cryptocurrency exchanges must register with the BSP as remittance and transfer companies, pursuant to BSP Circular No. 944 issued February 6, 2017.

Discussions with Google PH started in 2019 to counter the increase of unregistered personal loan apps in the country. This year, Google has revised its policy for personal loan apps targeting users in the Philippines, requiring them to submit a Personal Loan App Declaration and other necessary documents before they could publish apps on Google Play. Failure to provide such documents will lead to the personal loan app’s removal from Google Play.

Tags cryptocurrency, Regulation, Securities and Exchange Commission, Philippines, Advertising, Google

Technology Featured Southeast Asia

Oddle empowers associate restaurants via partnership with Google

Post author By Carlo Sarabia
Post date May 16, 2022

Oddle empowers associate restaurants via partnership with Google

Singapore — Oddle, an omnichannel food and beverage technology company headquartered in Singapore, has announced the launch of a new booking option for its customers, following integration with Reserve with Google. This new offering enables bookings with participating businesses directly through Google products including Search, Maps, and Google Assistant.

The company operates in four countries namely in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Taiwan. Oddle Reserve is one of the four core solutions within Oddle’s omnichannel ecosystem that aims to connect restaurants and their customers through first-class experiences and engagements. Through the collaboration, Oddle’s restaurant partners now experience higher search visibility and new reservation avenues across Google’s products.

The modern reservation and guest experience management solution is first of its kind to drive restaurant profitability by empowering restaurants to own direct reservations channels without per cover charge or subscription fee.

The Reserve with Google and Oddle Reserve integration will provide Oddle’s users a seamless opportunity to attract and retain customers that are using Google to search for restaurant reservations.

Tags Google, Partnership, Oddle, Reserve, Google Products, Technology

Marketing Featured Global

Google honors IT professionals with ‘Leaptakers’ global campaign

Post author By MARKETECH APAC
Post date April 13, 2022

Google Leaptakers Apparent

Sydney, Australia – Google is giving recognition to IT professionals who have kept “the world working” through a new global campaign, created together with customer experience agency, Apparent.

Google Chrome Enterprise in particular, has given recognition to IT professionals to put the spotlight on IT professionals’ stories by showcasing how they kept the world connected, learning and working through their initiatives in allowing organisations to work remotely, connecting families with loved ones and giving students access to virtual classrooms, and so much more when the pandemic swept the globe.

The ‘Leaptakers’ video campaign features testimonies of those who were affected by the pandemic and how humankind have taken great leaps throughout history. Now, the IT pros, whose endeavours and innovation often remain invisible, are being recognised for the rightful credit they deserve.

‘Leaptakers’ global campaign by Apparent

New York-based director Christian Padron and production company Scheme Engine were engaged to capture these inspirational stories, which were then turned into films and written articles.Michelle Turchini, executive creative director at Apparent , commented, “As the pandemic hit and the world scrambled to different ways of working, learning and connecting with loved ones, it was IT professionals who overcame some of the most difficult challenges to enable ongoing communication seamlessly and at scale.

“The Leaptakers stories are just a small celebration of the challenges they faced, the solutions they built and the impact they’ve had on the lives of people across the globe, recognising the vital and ongoing contribution they made and continue to make every day,” Turchini added.

Apparent, which has worked with Google since 2012, embarked on a global search, engaging the IT community, harnessing partners and internal audiences and enlisted advocates through social media to get their personal stories of how they kept the world working during the pandemic.

Five were chosen among thousands of potential unique stories, including Life Lines in the United Kingdom, a project to provide virtual visits between critically ill patients and their loved ones during the pandemic, facilitating more than a million minutes of calls from 180 UK hospitals to loved ones around the world. Meanwhile, in the US, Achievement First helped children thrive when schools closed their doors, delivering 2,800 education professionals and 15,000 children across three states with access to technology. Product Marketing Lead from Google Chrome Enterprise, Steve Ervin, added, “During a time of incredible disruption, the IT Leaptakers stepped up to ensure the world was connected and kept working. Often going unnoticed, this campaign recognises the importance and significance of these professionals and their notable achievements.”

Apparent further extended the campaign, through social media amplification, with a way to find and celebrate the Leaptakers by sending a customised thank you to IT teams, so not only would they feel more visible, but more appreciated, too.

Tags Marketing, Technology, Google, Campaign, information technology, Leaptakers

SME Featured Southeast Asia

Google SG to offer 5,000 scholarships to local partners to upskill for digital economy

Post author By Teddy Cambosa
Post date January 12, 2022

Google-Skills-Ignition-SG

Singapore – Tech giant Google in Singapore has announced that it will be offering 5,000 Google Career Certificate scholarships to its 13 local partners to enable the local workforce in the country. Said offering is part of Google’s objective to extend its offering of Skills Ignition SG, an expanded skills program.

Google will partner with all five polytechnics in the country, three ITEs, social service agencies as well as self-help groups such as The Codette Project, Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA), and Yayasan MENDAKI (Council for the Development of Singapore Malay/Muslim Community) to distribute the scholarships.

Available on the online education platform Coursera, Google Career Certificates are flexible online training programmes that enable learners with no prior experience or a degree to unlock new job opportunities in four tracks: ‘IT Support’, ‘Project Management’, ‘Data Analytics’ and ‘UX Design’.

Each curriculum is created by Google’s in-house experts and designed to equip students with fundamental skills through hands-on learning, allowing them to progress at their own pace while studying or working.

In addition, Google has formed an employer consortium to connect graduates from Skills Ignition SG with employers who have a need for qualified candidates in these fields. Members of the consortium include Coca-Cola, Group East Digital, Integrated Health Information Systems (IHiS), L’Oreal Singapore, Omnicom Media Group, SPH Media Limited, to name a few.

Scott Beaumont, president of Google Asia Pacific, commented that this new local endeavor means even more Singaporeans will be able to access training opportunities, learn new skills and better compete for jobs in the digital economy as it continues to grow.

“With a strong digital talent pool, Singapore can lead the way as a regional and global technology hub. We know that partnerships between government agencies, businesses and community organizations are the best way to ensure that Singaporeans have the skills they need, and we’re proud that Skills Ignition SG has already helped more than 3,200 people. We want to build on that progress in 2022 and beyond,” Beaumont stated.

Tags Singapore, SMEs, Google, Digital skills, Skills Ignition SG, Workforce

Platforms Featured Global

Digital Turbine renews Google partnership for product, growth strategy on Android ecosystem

Post author By Teddy Cambosa
Post date December 29, 2021

Digital-Turbine-Google-Partnership

Texas, USA – Global mobile growth and monetization platform Digital Turbine has renewed its with tech giant Google to accelerate its product and growth strategy to support the Android ecosystem by enabling nearly a billion devices with intelligent app discovery.

Said multi-year partnership with Google will entail working with Google Cloud’s premier partner SADA to implement Google’s enterprise and cloud solutions to rapidly enhance and expand globally while broadening growth and monetization solutions for its partners.

Speaking about the partnership, Rob Enslin, president of Google Cloud, said that they are excited to partner with Digital Turbine to support the expansion and scale of its products and services globally.

“Digital Turbine has been a longtime supporter of the Android ecosystem, and with this new partnership, it will utilize our advanced cloud and enterprise infrastructure to expand support of its value-added mobile experiences to end users around the globe,” Enslin said.

Meanwhile, Bill Stone, CEO of Digital Turbine, commented that for the past 10 years, Digital Turbine has helped expand the Android ecosystem with their intelligent app discovery, growth and monetization products supporting many of the Android app developers in the market today.

“We are thrilled to further deepen and expand our partnership with Google. By partnering with Google we are efficiently powering app discovery for nearly a billion Android devices globally while simultaneously expanding our footprint across the Android ecosystem including mobile, TV and connected devices,” Stone added.

Tags Google, Partnership, Digital Turbine, Google Cloud, Applications, Android, SADA

Categories

Links

Social Links