By Amy Brooks, Education Director, Facebook

This week we’re in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the next stop on Facebook’s Community Boost tour, celebrating National Small Business Week by helping small businesses grow and develop their digital skills.

When we surveyed the city’s business owners and employees in Albuquerque, we learned that many believe social media and digital marketing skills are important for the growth of their business or their careers, but few feel they have the specific skills they need to succeed.

86% of small business managers believe that digital advertising is an important skill for growing their business, but only 21% of managers rate themselves as excellent in this area. 94% of jobs/skills seekers say digital skills are important when looking for job, but only 10% rate their digital skills as excellent.

Facebook Community Boost is a way to help close the digital skills gap through the trainings we offer throughout the week along with new partnerships we’re announcing with Central New Mexico Community College (CNM), New Mexico TechWorks, Cultivating Coders and Barelas Economic Opportunity Center (Albuquerque Hispano Chamber) to ensure trainings continue to reach people in Albuquerque and across New Mexico long after the week ends.

Joining Central New Mexico Community College to Help Students across New Mexico Thrive in a Digital Economy

We’re also developing a new Digital Marketing Certificate program in partnership with the Central New Mexico Community College, the largest higher education institution in the state for undergraduate enrollment. This will be the first Facebook educational program of its kind, and offers participants the chance to gain certificates that will prepare them to succeed as professionals in digital marketing and social media strategy.

Facebook is also joining CNM to offer 32 scholarships for students to attend the college’s popular Deep Dive Coding Bootcamps. With more than an 80% job-placement rate after completing the 10- or 12-week bootcamps, graduates will have the opportunity to thrive in today’s digital economy.

Scaling Digital Skills and Marketing Training Tailored to Albuquerqueans

The success and long-term impact of digital training programs often depends upon scale and the ability to deliver on the specific needs in each community. At Community Boost, we’re partnering with New Mexico TechWorks, Cultivating Coders and Barelas Economic Opportunity Center to provide train-the-trainer sessions on Facebook and Instagram. Once trained, these local organizations will be able to integrate digital skills workshops into their workforce development programs across the region.

Our teams are committed to helping small businesses and their communities across the U.S. and around the world. Please share your thoughts and stay up to date with the latest city announcements, news and program schedules at facebook.com/communityboost.