KUCHING: The follow-up programme for Sarawak Youth Startup (SY Startup) participants continues to be enhanced as a key platform to monitor progress and identify challenges faced by youth entrepreneurs following the completion of intensive training.

Sarawak Deputy Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development (Entrepreneur Development) Datuk Dr Ripin Lamat said the organisation of the Meet & Greet session with Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 participants at Sarawak Sports Village serves as a platform for the ministry to assess the entrepreneurs’ actual performance and design appropriate interventions.

According to him, the programme serves as a continuation of the eight-day intensive course under the SY Startup Entrepreneur Development Programme which emphasises the development of knowledge capital among participants.

“This programme is not merely a training initiative but rather one where we go on the ground to observe participants’ progress directly including the issues they face, so that assistance can be channelled in a more targeted manner,” he said.

He made the statement when met by the media at the SY Startup Aidilfitri Meet & Greet Programme held here on Monday.

He further explained that a total of 425 participants have participated in the programme to date, comprising 275 participants from Cohort 1 and 150 from Cohort 2, with more than 65 per cent of Cohort 1 participants demonstrating consistent performance in their respective businesses.

“Indeed, there are entrepreneurs who have achieved monthly incomes exceeding RM80,000 while others are progressively growing from small-scale businesses into kiosks, food trucks and permanent outlets,” he explained.

In the meantime, he added that the ministry also implements continuous periodic monitoring for a period of up to three years to ensure the sustainability of participants’ businesses.

Furthermore, Datuk Dr Ripin stated that the food and beverage (F&B) sector continues to be the main contributor among SY Startup entrepreneurs, followed by the services, tourism and information technology sectors, all of which have shown an increase in Cohort 2.

In efforts to broaden market opportunities, the ministry is also collaborating with various agencies including MATRADE to bring entrepreneurs to participate in trade expos and exhibitions both within and outside Sarawak.

At the same time, he emphasised that the development of youth entrepreneurs is among the main focuses under the Post COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030) which aims to produce more job creators rather than job seekers.

“We aim to see more young entrepreneurs succeed, not only in generating their own income but also in creating employment opportunities for the community,” he added.

He further said the ministry will continue to intensify the implementation of various entrepreneurship development programmes including Belia Go-Biz, Youth Entrepreneur Setup 3.0, Youth Escape and the Sarawak Business Idea Competition (SEBIC) which target youth participation across the state. -UKASnews

Translator: Suhaila AW