The programme has so far trained 6,782 individuals in various business ventures, particularly in the service industry

by NURUL SUHAIDI / Pic by MUHD AMIN NAHARUL

SME Corp Malaysia will develop 350 young entrepreneurs with a total allocation of RM10 million under the Tube@Pemerkasa programme.

Introduced in 2014, the programme was created specifically to help young Bumiputeras who are keen on starting a business.

It has so far trained 6,782 individuals in various business ventures, particularly in the service industry.

SME Corp CEO Rizal Nainy said out of the total, 6,633 entrepreneurs (98%) were successfully registered.

As of June 2022, the accumulated sales value of the programme was RM140.6 million.

“The programme has also successfully created 12,242 job opportunities, including for the programme’s participants,” he said at the launch of Tube@Pemerkasa 2022 today.

This year’s programme is conducted in two sessions. The first session took place from June 16 to 25, while the second, which started on June 28, will end on July 8.

According to Rizal, Tube@Pemerkasa 2022 intends to prioritise youths who are involved or keen on exploring the agro-food sector.

“We want to produce more young entrepreneurs in the agro-food sector to ensure a strong and stable agro-food chain,” Rizal said.

Upon completion, participants who fulfil the requirements of the programme will receive a business grant of between RM10,000 and RM15,000 based on their respective business plans.

The participants will be monitored for 12 months by a business counsellor at SME Corp to ensure their businesses are resilient and sustainable.

SME Corp will also intensify its engagement and monitoring activities with the Tube Alumni, such as increasing access to financing.