GEORGE TOWN – While many business owners are struggling to survive the lengthy Covid-19 lockdown, 105 women under the mentorship of the Penang Women Entrepreneur Mentoring Programme (PWEMP) mooted last year are seeing record sales.
According to social development exco Chong Eng, PWEMP’s success is measured by mentees’ average income.
“Of the 138 women who participated in this programme, 105 have followed it perfectly for six months.
“The average random income per mentee in October 2020 was RM1,923. The amount decreased slightly in December to RM1,717. In February 2021, it increased to RM1,821, and in April, it went up further to RM3,860.
“This data proves the effectiveness of the programme, showing an increase in average income of approximately 50% within half a year,” she said during the launch of PWEMP 2.0.
The state is targeting 40% female ownership of small and medium enterprises.
Based on SME statistics from 2016, only 16% of Penang SMEs were owned by women. To hit the 40% target by 2030, there needs to be an estimated 100,000 registered women entrepreneurs.
According to the Statistics Department, only 20.6% of 907,065 businesses nationwide are owned by women.
Riding on the success of the first iteration of PWEMP, the state, through the Penang Women’s Development Corporation (PWDC) and its strategic partners WomenBizSENSE, Penang Women Chamber of Commerce, Yayasan Kemajuan Sosial Malaysia, JCI Pearl, National Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Malaysia and Tamarai, launched the programme’s second instalment.
Trade, industry and entrepreneurial development exco Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain said knowledge transfer during training and mentoring sessions is needed to increase the initiative’s effectiveness.
“At the moment, the economy is sluggish due to the Covid-19 pandemic. To boost the economy, entrepreneurs need to be assisted and guided, so as to expedite their learning and create a better chance at success.
“With PWEMP 2.0, entrepreneurs do not have to take courses in the market that charge relatively high fees, with some costing more than RM6,000.
“The PWEMP 2.0 fee is affordable. It is a commitment fee due to joint ventures with strategic partners who have their own expertise and prowess, and are willing to share their knowledge and experience.”
The five-month programme costs RM100 for mentees from the B40 group and RM600 for those in the M40 and T20 groups.
PWDC chief executive Ong Bee Leng said until movement controls are loosened, training will be done online, while in-person sessions will be conducted for small-group mentorship.
“We are targeting 150 mentees and 35 mentors, and there will be two mentors to guide a small group so that the mentors can still run their business while giving sufficient attention to their mentees.
“Women who are interested in business are encouraged to join us.”
Registration for PWEMP 2.0 can be done via the PWEMP and PWDC Facebook pages. – The Vibes, July 20, 2021
