Government offers SMEs training

The Commerce Ministry plans to develop a national e-commerce platform to be a major tool to support Thai micro-SMEs, particularly in rural areas to boost the local economy.

To achieve the goal, the government has joined hands with e-commerce giants to improve distribution channels and help Thai small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) hone their skills in using e-commerce for marketing, said Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn.

“We expect to propose the plan for cabinet approval next week during the mobile cabinet meeting, which is scheduled for Songkhla province,” said Mrs Apiradi.

“The project wants to develop entrepreneurs in the SME and micro-SME sector to have strong e-commerce skills to develop their business.”

She said the government has been working closely with Alibaba and Lazada to create e-commerce training courses to improve the skills of Thai SMEs in reaching a wider audience.

Alibaba’s Lazada, which also plans to invest in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), is mulling investment in the EEC’s projected innovation centre.

Alibaba Group’s Taobao University also created New Economy Academy (NEA) in Thailand. The academy is meant to train Thai businesses, particularly SMEs and micro-SMEs, to use e-commerce platforms in expanding their business.

The courses created by the NEA are expected to help train up to 30,000 Thai companies this year.

The number of participating companies is projected to rise substantially in the future.

Mrs Apiradi said 99% of Thai businesses are SMEs, which generate revenue that contributes 42.2% of the country’s GDP, making them the backbone of the Thai economy.

Hugo An, a representative of Taobao University, said there are around 100,000 Thai SMEs that have registered with Alibaba to sell on it, a figure expected to rise sharply, including for Alibaba subsidiary websites, such as Lazada Thailand.

Alessandro Piscini, Lazada Thailand’s chief executive, said the company also partnered with the Interior Ministry to allow One Tambon One product items to be distributed on Lazada’s website, helping to increase earnings for Thai SMEs and micro-SMEs.