On January 28, Google announced the launch of The Graduate training program in Belarus. The event was hosted by the HTP business incubator and attracted more than fifty students and marketing specialists willing to learn about digital marketing with the Google team and become an expert in internet marketing.

The Google team spoke about the company's history, new trends of the Internet development and its influence on our life.

For example, there are about 3 million Internet users today. The number is expected to increase three times by 2020. Google experts noted that the share of the mobile traffic is constantly expanding. On average, 30% of Internet connections in the world are performed by mobile phones which makes it necessary to create mobile versions of websites for faster and easier access. 45% of Belarusians are using smart phones. Commonly, a user employs a smart phone about 150 times a day. Most TV viewers use an additional device, a second screen. So we may conclude that we disconnect from the Matrix when falling asleep only.

According to Natalia Corobco, Country Business Development Manager at Google Belarus, the online market in Belarus has a great potential and is continuously developing. Google marketing experts believe that the growth rates of the Belarusian online market will exceed that of the West Europe shortly. Google is planning to further contribute to the development of the Belarusian market, promote digital services and help agencies to work with small and medium-sized enterprises.

The Graduate is a training program in internet marketing for software engineers in Belarus and Kazakhstan. The program is intended to help future specialists to adjust to modern trends in the internet business and provide the necessary tools. The registered students will be taught by the 5 Belarusian certified Google coaches.

The training will include webinars and online meetings. When completing the program, the participants will get certificates. The best students will get the opportunity to become an intern in one of the leading Belarusian companies. The program is free.

The participants are mostly university students and graduates.

Valeria, a student of the Minsk State Linguistic University: "I have a project. We are successfully developing, and this is possible due to the Internet. The Internet is a source of information for everybody, and we are promoting our project using the Internet. I believe the internet marketing is the wave of the future. That is great to have an opportunity to get training like this in Belarus."

Vladislav, a student of the Belarusian National Technical University: "I have come here because it is an interesting opportunity and it would be stupid to miss it. This is a good way to improve my skills and get new knowledge. It is interesting to learn Google's experience. Students should attend trainings and seminars for personal development since the existent education system does not provide the necessary knowledge to become a good professional."

Eugene, a marketing specialist: "I have a certain experience but I would like to improve my knowledge, and that is why I am here. Participating in different educational conferences is a good way to broaden one's horizons."