Moneymaker: The eUsahawan pilot project in Jeli, Kelantan has generated a total of RM500,000 in sales to date. Pictured is one of it graduates Nik Kamarulzaman, who sells handicraft.
The Government wants to create a new generation of Malaysians that make money on the Web.
The Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), the guardian of the MSC Malaysia initiative, launched the eUsahawan programme to educate rural folk and students on how to be digital entrepreneurs.
MDeC chief executive officer Yasmin Mahmood said the eUsahawan pilot project done in Jeli, Kelantan produced 165 micro-entrepreneurs who have already generated RM500,000 in total sales in just five months.
One of the successful participants is Muhammad Syahzuan, who runs an air-conditioning repair service. The 18-year-old who is a first year student from Institut Kemahiran Mara (IKM), has made RM95,000 in just three months.
Since the programme started in April, MDeC claims that 78% of the participants for the pilot project are already making money.
Also, over 2,000 students have created a Facebook Business page or an online storefront.
Some 147 technical and vocational education training (TVET) centres nationwide have been involved with eUsahawan since it started. Also, TVET agencies, which operate TVET centres, are on board, including the department of polytechnic education, department of community college education, IKM and Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi Mara.
“eUsahawan is designed to be inclusive and easy for everyone to participate as just about anyone can walk into any TVET centres and enrol for the course,” said Yasmin.
Digital marketing will also included in the curriculum of the TVET centres, and will be made a mandatory final year subject.
Students will spend about three hours a week in class for the subject.
MDeC is also working with Karangkraf and e-Sentral to publish digital entrepreneurship textbooks for TVETs.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who officiated the event, said RM100mil has been allocated for eUsahawan and eRezeki, a programme centred on crowdsourcing jobs through the Internet for the benefit of the bottom 40% household income group.
