The Me.reka Digital Entrepreneur programme also offers scholarships worth over RM640,000 for B40 entrepreneurs across Malaysia
Can the digital economy help Malaysian freelancers rebound in a pandemic? And how can individuals future-proof themselves and reach the clients they need during a lockdown?
The answers to these and more questions can be found in the Me.reka Digital Entrepreneur programme, a four-week digital upskilling and entrepreneurship course launched this year during Malaysia's lockdown period. Unsurprisingly, the implementation of the full lockdown has taken a huge toll particularly on local businesses that have little-to-no online presence.
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Presented by The Biji-biji Initiative's education arm Me.reka in partnership with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Microsoft Malaysia, Hong Leong Foundation, MaGIC, the Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre (SCEIC) and Tabung Ekonomi Gagasan Anak Sarawak (TEGAS), this flagship programme was started to equip entrepreneurs and businesses in the 'Covid-19 generation' to succeed in Malaysia's emerging digital economy.
The ultimate goal is to upskill 10,000 individuals in Malaysia not only to weather the business challenges of a pandemic but to prepare themselves for the ever-evolving digital job market.
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"We’ve curated this programme to be intensive and transformative, where participants will learn technical and soft skills that are vital in the 21st-century job market," shares Ambika Sangaran, Me.reka's programme director. "Entrepreneurs in Malaysia's B40 communities in particular may have many questions about operating a business online, anything from how to price your services, how to build customer relationships and even how to manage your time as a freelancer. With this programme, they'll have access to mentors and career guidance that they wouldn't have otherwise had."