San Francisco, June 9: Aim to give individuals and companies the tools they need to flourish in an increasingly digital economy, Facebook has vowed to train one million people and small business owners across the US by 2020.

"Our plan is to work side by side with communities to provide more free in-person training, mentorship and online courses," Amy Brooks, Facebook's Business Education Director, said in a statement on Friday.

"We're developing local partnerships across the US so we can create free training for skills like coding, digital marketing, and more," Brooks added.

"By the end of the year we plan to establish new local partnerships which include teaming up with 20 community colleges to offer digital marketing training," said Brooks.

Facebook said it also plans to train more US businesses on how to use Facebook and Instagram to build and grow their businesses using "Blueprint", which includes a free e-learning programme available in 14 different languages.

Facebook launched Blueprint in March 2015.

"So far, more than 160,000 US small businesses have been trained using Blueprint, and by 2020 we plan to train an additional 250,000," Brooks said. 

Facebook also announced it will launch in autumn of this year "Learn with Facebook", a free online training resource to equip people with the skills they need to grow and become drivers of their local economies. 

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New Delhi (PTI): As polling began in 49 constituencies for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said it has become clear that people have stood up to protect the Constitution and democracy and the country is witnessing a storm of change.

Voting is being held in 49 constituencies in six states and two union territories in the fifth phase, which will decide the electoral fate of several prominent leaders like Gandhi, Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah.

In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, "Today is the fifth phase of voting! In the first four phases itself, it has become clear that people have stood up to protect the Constitution and democracy and are defeating the BJP."

"This country is fed up with the politics of hatred and is now voting on its own issues. Youths for jobs, farmers for MSP and freedom from debt, women for economic independence and security, and labourers for fair wages.

"The people are fighting this election along with INDIA (bloc) and there is a storm of change in the country," the former Congress president said.

"I am appealing to the entire country, including Amethi and Rae Bareli, come out and vote in large numbers for the prosperity of your families, for your own rights and for the progress of India," Gandhi said.