By Doug Frisbie, Global Marketing Director, Small Business

This week, from June 26 -28 our Facebook Community Boost tour brings us to Hampton, Virginia. Hampton’s small businesses reside in good company — they are part of Virginia’s over 681,000 small businesses, which as a group employ about 1.5 million people or just under half (46.9%) of the state’s entire private workforce.

By 2020, Facebook has pledged to train 1 million people and small business owners across the U.S. Our time in Hampton during Community Boost, and the enduring partnerships we hope to build there throughout the week are part of that pledge.

Hampton’s Growing Demand for Digital Skills

When Facebook heard that Hampton wanted more digital skills training, this demand became a driving force behind our choice of Hampton as a Community Boost city. A survey by Morning Consult of local small businesses found that both business owners and job seekers had an appetite for learning to improve competitiveness and accelerate business growth:

Demand for digital skills in the job market: Nearly 8 in 10 (78%) of small businesses in Hampton and nearby towns told us that when looking to hire employees, digital skills were important; more than half said social media skills were important. In contrast, less than 1 in 3 (32%) referred to where a candidate went to school as important when hiring. Demand for social media skills: 3 in 4 (75%) small businesses said that having a good social media presence is important for their growth, but only 1 in 10 (10%) rated themselves as excellent in this area.

Come join us for two days at The American Theatre to network with other small business owners and community leaders and learn everything from How to Connect with Local Customers and Instagram Stories School, to How to Build Community with Groups or How to Grow your Non-profit with Facebook. We look forward to seeing you.

Register for free or find the latest city announcements, news and program schedules at facebook.com/communityboost.