KUCHING: Twenty-one women entrepreneurs from diverse business sectors completed their training under the Pelan Jana Semula Ekonomi Negara (Penjana) Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) programme.
The three-day training conducted from Dec 4 to 6 was organised by Swinburne Sarawak in collaboration with the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) Academy.
Through the programme, the women entrepreneurs were able to sharpen their business model and align their brand with the targeted market. They established their social media presence and used digital tools to extend their market reach on social media platforms.
Swinburne’s lecturer in entrepreneurship and trainer of the programme Gabriel Wee commented that in Malaysia, about 20 percent of the estimated registered total of over 650,000 entrepreneurs are women.
Despite many are successful in their respective business, he said their actual potentials remain untapped. However, with the right skills and knowledge, women entrepreneurs can create, expand and sustain their entrepreneurial activities.
“Some research has suggested that women can fuel Asia’s growth in post-Covid economy. Unfortunately, women are more likely than men to lose their job at the lower end of the market due to the mostly service-based nature of their job. Some have begun to venture into entrepreneurship to replace their loss income.
“It is our hope that the skills and knowledge picked up from the training will better prepare them for the workforce should they wish to return,” Wee said.
Meanwhile, executive courses director at Swinburne and coordinator of the training programme Dr Ling Chui Ching remarked that the university and MEF Academy are pleased to conduct the training after it was put on hold due to the pandemic. It was conducted with strict adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs).
“We have received a lot of assistance from Sarawak Women and Family Department as they are keen to empower our women to excel in their enterprise,” Dr Ling added.
Swinburne will be organising another two rounds of the training in January and February next year. For training details, email to Dr Ling Chui Ching at ccling@swinburne.edu.my.
For more information about Swinburne, visit www.swinburne.edu.my or its Facebook page (@swinburnesarawak), Instagram (@swinburnesarawak), Twitter (@Swinburne_Swk) or YouTube channel (Swinburne Sarawak).
