KVUE News: Facebook partnering with Austin Community College to create new certificate program

Shawna Reding

September 24, 2018

 

AUSTIN — Austin Community College is teaming up with Facebook to create a new certificate program, a statement from the company said.

 

On Sept. 24, Facebook announced that, as part of the company's pledge to train 1 million people and small businesses across the country in digital skills by 2020, they are partnering with ACC to create a new digital marketing certificate program.

 

The purpose of the program is to make training in skills such as social media marketing and digital media strategy more accessible to the local community and to prepare grads for the digital workforce.

 

Facebook said ACC is the tenth institution of higher education in the country to offer the program and said they plan to establish similar partnerships with 20 community colleges by the end of the year.

 

The classes will focus on digital marketing and social media strategy.

 

Austin Mayor Steve Adler said small businesses are “critically important” to the city. “But in today’s age, in order for those small businesses to be successful, they really need access and knowledge about the new social media tools,” said Adler. “So this new program with Austin Community College and Facebook will help these businesses not only survive, but thrive, and that makes our entire city do well.”

 

Richard Rhodes, the president of Austin Community College, called the partnership a “great collaborative effort."

 

Rhodes said the classes are open to anyone who is interested, and the program should be ready by Spring of 2019.