Google has opened up a branch of the Google Digital Academy in central London, where Googlers with experience in a wide variety of industries will be on hand to help teach a broad range of topics pertaining to the digital world to customers. This academy does not center on the technical aspects of what’s being taught, such as how to program or implement a search engine, but on how those technologies can be used in marketing, communications, logistics, and other outside ventures. Essentially, the aim is to make professionals whose jobs regularly put them into contact with technology and the web more tech-savvy and creative in their approach to the integration of modern technology with their duties.
The Academy offers master classes on topics like mobile, search, brand solutions, and even more specific things like a special “Squared” program that grooms industry veterans of eight to 12 years into all-around digital gurus. Google staff and industry experts in markets like communications, marketing, and creative fields teach classes that are specifically tailored to individuals or groups, and some, such as the Squared program, are even restricted to those who are invited. Classes can take many forms, from part-time programs stretching across months, to intense workshops akin to the ones featured annually at Google I/O events, where eager learners can pack in as much of the Academy staff members’ knowledge as possible within a short time. All of the full-time academy staff are Googlers from various backgrounds with experience in fields relevant to the academy’s material. Google did not say exactly who else may be on hand to teach its classes.
The Academy’s various programs have varying availability throughout the UK and Germany, with two central campuses that offer the full spectrum of available programs; one in Hamburg, Germany, and the new one in London. Classes are taught exclusively in person, and learners cannot just show up to an in-session class. Anybody who wants to join a class has to get in touch with a local Google sales representative to make the necessary arrangements. Google has not announced the costs of its various programs and classes, nor has it announced if or when more campuses could pop up.