Bernama has recently reported that the Malaysian Export Academy (formerly known as The Exporters' Club) hopes to alleviate the shortage of export expertise in the country by training the people, especially fresh graduates.

According to Prof Dr Abdul Kabur Ibrahim, CEO of The Malaysian Export Academy, the academy was set up to provide trade- and export-related subjects.

In fact, a survey conducted by the academy on 100 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) had showed that none of them has a dedicated export department even for companies which were actually exporting.

On that note, Dr Kabur said: "We have companies where the CEOs are working in the exporting side of the business or one person in the company who handles export-related matters and this is because they cannot find people with the right expertise.”

Since export education and training were not taught in universities and colleges, Dr Kabur said that entrepreneurs needed to be given hands-on training to prepare them to meet the challenges and competitions of the global market.

He said: "Malaysia is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world and this is the area we should give priority to. Furthermore, one of the components in the SME Masterplan 2012-2020 is to go for exports.”

"The Going Export Programme is one of the six high-impact programmes in the masterplan," he added.

He said there were three different segments that the academy was focusing on in terms of its offerings. They are short courses for the working adults, certificate programmes in collaboration with local and international partners and coaching for SMEs. The report stated that these short courses include trade financing, customs procedures, free trade zones and export marketing skills.

Additionally, Dr Kabur said the academy offered professional programmes on export management, international trade and financing as well as freight forwarding in collaborations with local and international partners such as Universiti Utara Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Institute of Export UK, Chartered Management Institute of UK, University of York and University of Switzerland, among others.

"We also have a project with Bumiputera Agenda Steering Unit - BEST Exporters programme. We provide coaching to 100 Bumiputera SMEs on export in which we deploy our trade advisers to the companies and factories to show them the way to handle export matters," he said.

Looking ahead, Abdul Kabur said the academy planned to set up an export simulation centre for trainees to have a hands-on experience in handling export-related matters.

Source: https://www.humanresourcesonline.net/how-the-malaysian-export-academy-plans-to-ease-shortage-of-export-expertise

Malaysian exporters have been hit hard by COVID-19 because they are not able to travel overseas either to participate in trade shows or conduct face-to-face meetings with potential customers. However, they still have access to trade enquiries from foreign importers via MATRADE’s MyExport, which is a subscription-based online market intelligence platform. Outcome of the survey conducted by MATRADE in February this year has shown that 53 per cent of the respondents have generated export sales through trade leads published in MyExport. Besides trade leads, MyExport provides subscribers with access to current trade information such as Market Alerts, Product Market Studies, Trade Statistics and International Tender Notices.

According to MATRADE’s Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Wan Latiff Wan Musa, Malaysian exporters need to leverage on digital channels to ensure that engagement with customers is sustained despite COVID-19. Online trade leads posted on MyExport serve as an opportunity for Malaysian exporters to provide business offers according to customers’ request. This trade intelligence is updated on a daily basis by 46 MATRADE Trade Commissioners across the globe.

“Leveraging on the digital platforms has become a new normal for businesses not only to survive but also to stay visible in the export market. To complement the trade leads, MyExport provides updated market information to ensure that Malaysian exporters are kept abreast on the latest international business trends and export opportunities. I believe in the present situation, online platform is vital for Malaysian exporters to get connected with potential foreign buyers which might translate into real business deals,” Wan Latiff said.

In 2019, MyExport published 4,157 trade leads from importers in 112 countries wanting to source products and services from Malaysia. Meanwhile as of June 2020, a total of 1,158 leads were posted in MyExport. Among the products that are highly sought after by foreign companies include prepared food, building and construction materials, chemicals, furniture as well as automotive parts and components. During this pandemic, medical products including medical gloves, face masks, hospital gowns and sanitisers topped the list. These enquiries are received from all over the world including USA, Europe, India, Africa, Latin America, besides countries in ASEAN.

Source: http://www.matrade.gov.my/en/about-matrade/media/press-releases/5122-matrade-s-myexport-provides-export-opportunity-during-covid-19