Ewon (seated third right) with the youth at the launching of TUBE 11 programme at ITCC shopping mall on Sunday.-Bernama photo
KOTA KINABALU (Feb 23): A hundred and ten Sabahan entrepreneurs selected for the Bumiputera Youth Budding Entrepreneurs Programme (TUBE) will receive business grants up to RM15,000.
Speaking when launching the TUBE 11 programme at ITCC shopping mall here Sunday, Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development (Kuskop) Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick hoped that the participants can show good performance after completing the programme and subsequently develop planned businesses to contribute to the state’s economic progress.
“The TUBE programme is specially designed to form youth who are not only brave enough to start a business, but are equipped with basic entrepreneurial knowledge and exposure to the real business landscape.
“As a paradigm shift, TUBE aims to produce Bumiputera youth who are not just job seekers, but job creators, through entrepreneurship,” he said.
Ewon said that since the TUBE programme was introduced in 2014, it has successfully trained 8,543 youths by creating 15,872 job opportunities and recording a cumulative sales value of RM194 million.
“What is especially commendable is that 46.7 percent or 3,879 of this total are Bumiputera youth, among them women,” he said.
He also urged participants to constantly update their knowledge and skills in line with the rapid development of technology that affects businesses in the interior as well as in major cities in Malaysia.
“TUBE 11 participants need to constantly update their knowledge and skills so that they can act more responsively to changes in current economic developments.
“To ensure that this training programme remains relevant, it has been improved with more comprehensive training modules and in line with the latest developments in the entrepreneurial ecosystem,” he said.
Ewon said this includes artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainability through knowledge and business tips to become entrepreneurs who will be the drivers of the country’s economic growth.
“By leveraging digital platforms and innovative marketing strategies, entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs can not only reach the local market, but also the global market more effectively,” he said.
Ewon said that in an effort to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Sabah, Kuskop will establish the SME Hub @ Sabah at the SME Corp Malaysia Office.
“This is an important step and effort by the Madani Government through my ministry, in strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Sabah.
“This SME Hub @ Sabah will function as a one-stop centre for entrepreneurs to access entrepreneurial knowledge resources, business guidance and business networking opportunities needed to grow their businesses to a higher level,” he said.
In addition, he said the Madani Government has also provided various forms of financial and non-financial support to help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses.
“Apart from the TUBE Programme, Kuskop through SME Corp Malaysia, one of the ministry’s many agencies, has implemented other entrepreneurial programmes such as the Tunas-i alternative financing programme and the Bumiputera MSMEs Financing Initiative (BMFI)@BEEP, which offers sharia-compliant financing and opportunities to increase business capital.
“For Bumiputera entrepreneurs who successfully develop their businesses to the point of being ready to export, access to financing in the form of matching grants is provided through the Bumiputera Export Promotion (GEB) programme to encourage the transformation of SMEs into the global market,” he said.
Ewon also encouraged all participants to be active in the national TUBE alumni network such as PERTUNAS and especially PANTAS in Sabah.
He said that this network will be an important platform to exchange ideas, share experiences and establish strategic collaborations in expanding businesses.
The TUBE 11 programme in Peninsular Malaysia such as in the Northern Zone, East Coast Zone, Central/Southern Zone and also in Sarawak will begin training next May.
Also present were Kuskop Secretary-General Dato’ Sri Khairul Dzaimee Daud, SME Corp Malaysia Chairman Tan Sri Bernard Dompok and SME Corp Malaysia Chief Executive Officer Rizal Dato’ Nainy.
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