Can Eminoğlu | 13 August 2021
In Turkey, persons in need of international protection are now benefitting from a new digital skills training provided through Google’s ‘Maharat min programme’. The initiative is an online training facilitated by Habitat, one of UNHCR’s NGO partners. It aims to teach key digital marketing skills and tools to young persons, including students, graduates, job seekers, entrepreneurs, and others.
Twenty-two-year-old Syrian Mona has been living with her husband and two sons in İzmir for some time now. Originally from Aleppo, she arrived in Turkey in 2015. She is an eager learner, trying to enhance her knowledge in every way possible. “I am quite enthusiastic about learning new things,” Mona notes. “I am a twelfth-grader at high school, and at the same time, I am attending private English classes.”
© Photo courtesy of Mona
Some months ago, one of Mona’s sisters’ teacher provided information that there would soon be some online courses on digital marketing training supported by Google. “This sounded very appealing, so I did not hesitate to send in my application for this learning opportunity,” Mona explained. She further encouraged two of her sisters to join, and luckily, they were all accepted to the programme.
Mona has been a digital marketing enthusiast even before the start of the training initiative. In fact, she often supports her family’s textile business by creating advertisements on Instagram. For Mona, the COVID-19 situation provided a unique opportunity to engage in digital marketing. According to her, the lockdown restrictions enticed people to do more socially distant shopping while encouraging entrepreneurs to develop original ideas for online sales and marketing.
Mona particularly appreciated the richness of the contents provided by the Google training. Throughout the two-day session, both theoretical and practical modules were thought in a dynamic way. From creating an online platform to discovering innovative advertisement solutions, participants had the opportunity to discuss a variety of topics interactively, including her favourite one: digital marketing. “We were also given individual homework to test and demonstrate our knowledge. In this context, I managed to create a digital platform, a website on Google Sites, all by myself!”
“With this new outlook, I will be much more equipped for the future.”
Before the training, Mona’s social media advertisements for her family’s business did not follow a meticulous strategy. “The sessions taught me how to strategize marketing – from articulating an appealing caption to taking a professional photograph for smarter advertisement possibilities. With this new outlook, I will be much more equipped for the future.”
Completing the training provided Mona with new perceptions. In fact, she just recently applied for a job at an international sales company in Izmir and is hopeful about the outcome of her interview. During the application process, she was told that this training provided by Google on her resumé made her stand out from the rest of the candidates. “Google is an international pioneer. When people hear about a training supported by Google, they want to learn the details. This is really motivating.”
In the future, Mona is planning to create her own digital marketing platform. She aims to develop a business putting into practice what she has learnt so far. She also recommends other persons in need of international protection to join similar trainings, so they can gain better life prospects during their stay in Turkey and contribute to their country once they can return home.
“This is not only about earning money,” Mona reflects. “This is more about learning new skills and enhancing one’s qualifications. I believe these are two major pillars of a successful business initiative that can lead to an exciting new future.”
“When people hear about a training supported by Google, they want to learn the details. This is really motivating.”
In 2018, the international community adopted the Global Compact on Refugees, seeking sustainable solutions for refugees around the world. One of the main goals of the Global Compact is to leave no one behind. Thanks to Google’s Maharat min initiative, Mona and other persons in need of international protection are given better access to decent employment opportunities while building closer ties with the host community.
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