By Lynn Omar, Business Times

June 15, 2010

SME Corp Malaysia and Multimedia Development Corp (MDec) will train small companies to carry out online sales to grow their business in a joint programme starting in July.

This is to address concerns that online transactions are not safe, which is the main reason why small and medium enterprises (SMEs) use the Web to just display their goods.

The programme has 100 pre-subscribers now an d they aim to have 2,000 SMEs by the end of July next year.

"Some of the firms already have a Web presence but through this platform, they can expand their export and revenue operations beyond their traditional direct buyers market.

"The goal in the long term is to link the Malaysian platform with international SMEs platform," MDec chief executive officer Datuk Badlisham Ghazali said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

According to SME Corp chief executive officer Datuk Hafsah Hashim, 92 per cent of SMEs have Internet access. "There is always the perceived notion that online financial transactions are not secure and if they dispel those negative perceptions, the world is their market," said Hafsah. The training is targeted for industries like retail, manufacturing, healthcare and logistics. SME Corp and MDec plan to target SMEs to join the programme through 14 outreach programmes, using Internet technology platforms and reaching out to trade associations in educating and highlighting this to their members. Participants will be paying RM10 a month for a year, after which the fees will rise. They will receive both training and technical support, including four hours of training to prepare and upload their products into the online selling platform.