Articles Technology WebActivate: Scheme to Build New Websites for Businesses for Free
| WebActivate: Scheme to Build New Websites for Businesses for Free |
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| Thursday, 02 September 2010 15:04 |
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WebActivate is a programme by Digital Skills Academy, and is supported by The Digital Hub, as well as Chambers of Commerce and further education institutions throughout Ireland. The project is being run as part of the Labour Market Activation Fund 2010, funded by the Department of Education and Skills and the European Social Fund. The aim of WebActivate is to provide small and medium-sized businesses with an effective online presence, while simultaneously creating employment for hundreds of people throughout the country. Under the project, businesses can apply to have assistance in building a web presence, free of charge. Two hundred 'Web-Activators' are currently receiving training – delivered regionally in Dublin, Cork and Galway – in areas such as Internet Publishing and iMarketing. All trainees are unemployed people, who successfully applied to participate in the first phase of the project. They will spend six weeks receiving 'in-centre' training and a further 12 weeks on structured work placements, helping small businesses throughout the country to establish an online presence. Interested businesses are now being invited to apply to take part in the WebActivate project. Six hundred businesses will be accommodated in the first phase. There are no costs involved for participating businesses and 'Web-Activators' will not need desk-space, as they will be equipped to work from home. According to Dr. Stephen Brennan, Director of Marketing and Strategy with The Digital Hub, participating in the WebActivate project will give businesses a competitive edge. ''Businesses are losing customers every day because they have not embraced digital technologies,'' he said. ''Recent research shows that when Irish consumers go online to look for a product or service, 70 per cent of them fail to find what they’re looking for in Ireland. This compares to less than 10 per cent in the UK. ''Irish people spent over €2.1 billion online in 2009, but most of this went outside the country. Our indigenous small businesses have yet to wake up to the growing importance of being online. The first thing most people do today when they want to find something is go on the internet. But if a restaurant, shop or leisure facility doesn't have an online presence, then how does this growing number of customers know they're there? There are currently at least 30,000 businesses in Ireland without an online presence and these businesses are losing customers every day because they have not embraced digital technologies. ''WebActivate aims to redress this situation by helping small businesses throughout Ireland establish an online presence. By getting Irish business online, WebActivate enables small businesses to attract new customers and reach out to new markets. In addition, businesses with an online presence will be better equipped to compete effectively in the 21st Century marketplace.'' Paul Dunne, Director of the Digital Skills Academy, said more than one hundred businesses have already applied to take part in the WebActivate project, and demand is expected to increase over the coming weeks. ''We are delighted that so many businesses have signed up to WebActivate already,'' he said. ''Our aim is to have 600 small businesses involved in the project in total, and we are now recruiting businesses from throughout Ireland. Any businesses interested in taking part need to apply by 15th October at the latest. An easy-to-complete application form is available on our website.'' To find out more about the WebActivate project, or to apply to get involved, go to: www.webactivate.ie watch an interview with Paul Dunne, Director of the Digital Skills Academy, about the WebActivate Programme go to Digital Hub TV: www.thedigitalhub.tv/webactivate-programme
Comments (4)
  written by Tim, September 15, 2010
Incredible really, You take unemployed people and give them a few weeks training and all of a sudden they can go into a business and create fantastic websites supposedly help small irish business complete online. What next will the govt be taking unemployed people to teach in schools, become solicitors etc. Absolute crazy stuff.
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 written by Adrienne O'Sullivan, September 07, 2010
Gary,
That's a very good point you've made and one that crossed our minds when we published this article highlighting this new programme by WebActivate. One wonders just how much consultation, if any, there was with bodies such as the Irish Internet Association, before the programme was launched. As we understand it 200 people are currently being trained in Internet Publishing and iMarketing and will create up to 600 websites for companies with no internet presence at present. Presumably, these people will be available to work for existing web design companies and/or set up their own businesses. Can the internet sector absorb these people in Ireland or will it be like the deregulation of the taxi industry where more and more people compete for a static pool of business? I guess only time will tell. Maybe we can get someone from WebActivate to provide a comment on this issue? Adrienne www.business-startup.ie report abuse
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 written by Gary O'Connell, September 07, 2010
Hello
Even though I believe your motives are good, I have to question your means. What baffles me about this initiative is that you seem to be taking business directly from web designers and web developers all over the country who are already competing in an industry with massive worldwide and online competition and price undercutting. Companies like ourselves are already struggling to keep our offices functioning and our staff fully employed and now you are pulling a very large potential market away from us. I applaud the initiative to give skilled unemployed people a chance to get back into the market lace but at the expense of those that have worked so hard to keep their heads above water... That I find very hard to understand. I just wonder how many web design companies have you consulted on this initiative? We work tirelessly on our sales nationwide and to see almost 600 potential customers taken away from us is hard to take. Regards Gary report abuse
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| Last Updated on Tuesday, 07 September 2010 11:40 |
Pharmacies, solicitors' practices, manufacturers and groceries – these are just some of the businesses that will go online for the first time, or upgrade their existing websites, thanks to WebActivate, a new initiative aimed at improving the web presence of Irish businesses.
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BT, Google, e-skills uk and Enterprise UK have all teamed up for this service which apparently can get a website up and running for a small business in less than 20 minutes! Have no idea what quality the websites are!
Does raise the question though as what the respective costs of these two programmes in the UK and Ireland are? And, more importantly, is the Irish taxpayer getting value for money?
Best regards,
Adrienne