Instagram Academy launches in Hong Kong to train young entrepreneurs

Instagram has launched its first Instagram Academy in Hong Kong in partnership with the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG), offering young entrepreneurs digital skills that are essential for local businesses to grow.

The launch of Instagram Academy is a response to the growing popularity of Instagram for young people to build careers and realise their entrepreneurial aspirations. Divided into two phases, Instagram Academy will recruit and train around 300 young entrepreneurs aged between 18 and 35 and is set to complete in April 2021.

In the first phase of Instagram Academy, the Instagram team will use a specially-designed curriculum to coach young entrepreneurs on using the platform's free business and creative tools. Additionally, the programme will hold virtual hands-on sessions focusing on creating engaging content for businesses. The programme will take entrepreneurs dive deep into Instagram and learn how to use this visual platform to amplify content, engage users and build brand awareness, and the best practices for posting and launching ads on Instagram to eventually to grow their accounts.

In the second phase of the programme, the HKFYG will select 10 Instagram Academy top graduates to join a transition programme for local traditional businesses, helping these companies digitalise and pass on their traditional business to the next generation.

The graduates will transfer the Instagram-specific digital skills they learned in the first phase to participating traditional businesses, including teaching local traditional business owners about features such as promotional tools, Instagram Stories and direct messaging. This phase of the programme aims to help owners elevate and digitalise their businesses with their very own platform to connect with customers.

“E-commerce has been a trend for small to medium-sized businesses, and COVID-19 has given online shopping a boost as more consumers resort to searching brands and products, and buying goods online, which also creates business opportunities to young people," said Jayne Leung, vice president and head of Greater China at Facebook.

"With the help of Instagram, local entrepreneurs are getting younger and younger, some even start in their early 20s. We’re deeply inspired by the many young people who have used Instagram to start their own business, and therefore launch Instagram Academy in Hong Kong,” she added.

The program also invited a total of seven established business owners to serve as Instagram Academy Ambassadors who shared their experiences with using Instagram to build their businesses. These ambassadors Alfred Ng, co-founder of budget tourism website Flyday.hk and retail store Travelpop; Carmen Kwok, founder of diamond and jewellery concept store Asvida; and Jenn Lam and Tawnia Lai, founders of vegan cosmetic and skincare brand WULT.

"Through this training programme, we hope to facilitate young entrepreneurs to make the most of this effective marketing channel to improve their skills, grow their own businesses and attract more customers. It is our honour and privilege to partner with Instagram to provide professional training that nurture young people and promote exchanges," commented Gary Tang, coordinator of The HKFYG.

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