Workforce Development Pillar

Key Developments

• 2024 USABCI handed over the operational role of the ASEAN SME Academy platform to the Philippines government through PTTC GMEA. USABCI remains committed to support the development of ASEAN SMEs through in-person trainings. USABCI also holds a sideline event during the 18^th ASEAN Coordinating Committee for MSME Meeting in Bali on 22 October 2024 in partnership with Indonesia Ministry of Cooperatives and SME.

• 2023 USABCI along with key supporters and partners, continuing the initiatives to enhance the digital and global competitiveness of SMEs across ASEAN. These collaborations include Enterprise Singapore, Singapore Business Federation, SGTech, Malaysia’s Ministry of Entrepreneurs and Cooperatives Development, SME Corp. Malaysia, Indonesia’s Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), and the Indonesian Women Entrepreneurs Association (IWAPI), as well as the Philippines' Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Philippine Trade Training Center – Global MSME Academy (PTTC-GMEA). Workshops have been held in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, focusing on positioning Singapore as a digital tech hub, fostering digital inclusion in Malaysia, unlocking global potential for Indonesian SMEs, and catalyzing success in the digital economy for Filipino SMEs.

• 2022 In 2022, the ASEAN SME Academy revamping project concluded and thus the ASEAN SME Academy 2.0 was launched on April 8 at the Philippine Trade Training Center in Manila, with 3,000 participants joining via Zoom and Facebook livestreams. The event was supported by the ASEAN Secretariat, ACCMSME, the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC), the US Mission to ASEAN, and USAID-IGNITE. USABCI also held a series of SME workshops across the region. The first, a webinar in Indonesia on May 31, drew 1,015 participants, in partnership with Indonesia's Ministry of Cooperatives and SME and the Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry. A hybrid event in Cambodia on September 16 brought together 145 participants, with support from Cambodia’s Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology, and Innovation, and Cambodia Chamber of Commerce. The final workshop of the year took place in Vietnam on December 2, involving 190 participants and co-organized with Vietnam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry. Furthermore, USABCI participated in two ACCMSME consultation sessions. During the 13th meeting on June 15, USABCI highlighted the need to improve the ASEAN SME Academy’s accessibility and expand its language offerings. The 14th meeting on November 22 focused on enhancing the Academy’s platform, boosting SME digital competitiveness, and strengthening partnerships between ASEAN SMEs, the U.S. private sector, and other stakeholders.

• 2021 With continued support to the ASEAN SMEs, USABCI participated in the 11th and 12th ACCMSME Meetings. The meeting in April marked the official start of the ASEAN SME Academy revamping project, carried out by USABCI in partnership with USAID under the IGNITE program. Additionally, USABCI, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, organized a webinar focused on the digital creative economy at the ASEAN level. This was the first SME Webinar Series conducted at the ASEAN level, and it served as a side event of the ASEAN Creative Economy Business Forum in 2021.
  
  The ASEAN SME Academy website underwent a significant revamping project as part of the partnership with USAID under IGNITE. The goal was to upgrade the online learning platform by introducing new features, such as accessibility in local languages, mobile access, an improved visual design, and higher-quality content. As the culmination of the revamping project, ASEAN SME Academy 2.0 was launched on April 8, 2022, at the Philippine Trade Training Center in Manila, Philippines. The launch event was organized by the US-ASEAN Business Council, USAID-IGNITE, the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry, and the Philippine Trade Training Center, with support from ACCMSME and the ASEAN Secretariat.

• 2020 Due to COVID-19 Pandemic, USABCI shifted its in-country training into virtual ones due to the global pandemic with SME Webinar Series in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic. The first webinar was held in the Philippines, partnering with the DTI and PTTC. USABCI also participated in the 10th ACCMSME Meeting that conducted virtually due to the pandemic.

• 2019 USABCI participated in the 7th and 8th ACCMSME Meeting in Nha Trang, Vietnam and Phnom Penh, Cambodia. In Nha Trang, USABCI signed a MOU with the Philippines Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Philippine Trade Training Centre (PTTC) on April 24 to formalize collaboration for the ASEAN SME Academy.

• April and November 2018 The Institute participated in the 5th and 6th ASEAN Coordinating Committee Meetings on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (ACCMSME) in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR and Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. At these official engagements with SME government agencies across ASEAN, the Institute presented the progress, future plans, and collaboration opportunities with the Institute’s SME program. The meeting in Luang Prabang also marked the beginning of the handover process of the ASEAN SME Academy (the Academy) from USAID to the ACCMSME through the Philippines Department of Trade and Industry - Bureau of Small and Medium Enterprise Development (DTI-BSMED). Launched in 2016 by the Business Alliance, the Academy is co-administered by DTI-BSMED and the Ins. 

• May 2016 The Business Alliance launched the ASEAN SME Academy, an online portal with interactive training, mentoring resources, and business information for ASEAN SMEs. The ASEAN Academy allows SMEs throughout the region to access high-quality training modules at any time, free of charge. Members supporting the Academy include Baker & McKenzie, Facebook, Google, HP, MasterCard, Microsoft, PayPal and P&G. The Academy can be accessed at http://www.asean-sme-academy.org/.

• April 2016 To further expand the Institute’s SME program in Vietnam, the Institute signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). Through this MOU, the Institute implemented five training programs throughout 2016 in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, and Can Tho. In September 2017, the Institute plans to convene a major SME symposium alongside the APEC Ministerial Meeting.

• August 2014 The Alliance submitted a report to the ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) entitled “Beyond AEC 2015: Policy Recommendations for ASEAN SME Competitiveness” at the 46^th AEM Meeting in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. The report offers the Business Alliance’s perspective on opportunities and challenges faced by ASEAN SMEs, as well as recommendations to help ASEAN realize its considerable economic potential.

SME Academy (Inactive)

The ASEAN SME Academy is a one-stop, open-access gateway that provides business information and training resources to support ASEAN Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) development and internationalization. The Academy works to improve the business development services to SMEs through accessible courses and business information via computer, smart phones, and tablets.

The Academy provides courses and tools that cover subjects such as finance/accounting, management, marketing, operation, technology and trade/logistics. It also assists SMEs to find networking opportunities and gain access to region-specific information to further grow and upgrade their businesses. As per demand and when needed, the business information and training resources posted in the Academy will be selectively translated into the local languages to maximize reach and absorption.

ASEAN SME Academy was launched on May 31, 2016, during the 1^st Meeting of ASEAN Coordinating Committee on MSME (ACCMSME) in Singapore. It is a collaborative initiative between the US-ASEAN Business Alliance for Competitive SMEs and ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (ACCMSME).

On April 24, 2019, while joining the 7th ACCMSME Meeting in Nha Trang, the Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Philippines Department of Trade and Industry and the Philippine Trade Training Centre to formalize collaboration for the ASEAN SME Academy

In April 2022, the Institute launched the ASEAN SME Academy 2.0 in partnership with ASEAN-USAID IGNITE, ACCMSME, and the ASEAN Secretariat. The Academy provides an upgraded version of the online learning platform and was merged with our live training events. In 2022, the Academy received over 16,000 online visitors and 2,300 active users.

In 2024, the Institute transitioned operations and hosting duties of the ASEAN SME Academy (Academy) to the Philippines government under the USAID ASEAN Partnership Program.   

Council Members supporting courses material included Baker & McKenzie, Cisco, Facebook, FedEx, Google, MasterCard, Microsoft, PayPal, HP, Procter & Gamble (P&G), UL, SAP and Adobe. The platform also featured courses from international organizations such as International Labor Organization (ILO).