Empowering SMEs to upskill and reskill to keep up with today’s digital world

Kuala Lumpur, 15 October 2021 - airasia academy (formerly known as Redbeat Academy), the edutech arm of airasia Digital today announced a collaboration with Google Malaysia as part of its BINA Digital programme initiative to provide free digital courses for small and medium local enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia. 

The collaboration aims to empower the SME community in reskilling and upskilling themselves to digitise their business, stay relevant, be equipped with modern tech skill sets and continue to excel in their businesses. 

Google Primer is a mobile app that offers quick, easy-to-understand lessons to help business owners and individuals grow skills and reach their goals. The free courses are now available for SMEs or any individual who is interested to learn via the On-Demand Learning platform at redbeatacademy.com. Lessons on how to start your own business, manage your team, and market your products are available in English and Bahasa Malaysia. All contents are designed to help SMEs embrace digitalisation and enhance their business in these challenging times.

Through the collaboration, the first 50 airasia academy students who have completed the Primer series by 31 October 2021 will have the option to subscribe to courses on the On-Demand Learning platform at only RM10 a month. They will also stand a chance to win a free seat to airasia academy Instructor-Led Training courses and a lunch date with Aireen Omar, President of airasia digital when they have fully completed the Primer Series.

Aireen Omar, President of airasia Digital said, “The SMEs are a key pillar of our economy. In these tough times, we’ve seen many local SMEs struggling to stay afloat and we want to continue playing our part by providing free access to those in need to ensure that they are equipped with tech skill sets to grow their businesses. Many businesses are sometimes unsure where to start and we believe these free courses can guide them into taking the first step to learn new tech skill sets. We are delighted to embark on this journey together with Google Malaysia and look forward to reskilling and upskilling thousands of SMEs in Malaysia so they can be more resilient and continue to contribute positively to the economy.”

“The free courses will consist of nine minicourses for beginners, intermediate and advanced levels with topics such as Grow your business and generate revenue, Take your business online, Get started with digital advertising and many more. We invite all SME owners to get the details by visiting redbeatacademy.com or click on the ‘Academy’ icon via the airasia Super App,” added Aireen. 

Marc Woo, Managing Director of Google Malaysia said, “Malaysians are spending more time online and as we embark on the path of economic recovery, digital technologies are pivotal to help SMEs adapt. This means that when these businesses go online, they can reach their customers faster, which in turn generates a higher uplift in our digital economy. It is even more crucial now than ever that we continue to help businesses of all sizes build digital skill sets. By continuing to work with our long-standing partners like airasia academy, we are committed to ensuring that every business has the support and tools they need to recover and rebuild for the long run.” 

airasia academy BINA Digital is a specialised development programme that was introduced last year as part of its offerings that offers online courses for SMEs to get started, build and grow their online presence, and enhance their ability to maintain sustainable business expansion and growth. The programme has benefitted over 3,000 SMEs to-date. 

For further information, visit redbeatacademy.com or follow airasia academy on Facebook, airasia academy on Instagram and airasia academy on YouTube. 

About airasia academy (formerly known as Redbeat Academy) 

airasia academy is a one-stop tech, leadership and innovation academy aimed at supercharging the digital economy within the ASEAN region. Together with Google Cloud, airasia academy is disrupting the conventional education space by bridging the gap between Tertiary Education and Advanced Industries within the ASEAN region.

airasia academy fills in the vacuum that has existed in the past decades by up-skilling and re-skilling the workforce with what’s relevant in the industry today, making our students highly employable, at the same time equipping them with skill-sets required for the modern era.

About Google Primer

Primer is a free mobile app from Google that offers quick, easy-to-understand lessons for business owners and anyone looking to grow their business and digital marketing skills.

Primer transforms insights from trusted industry experts into jargon-free interactive lessons featuring practical next steps for reaching your business or career goals. Lessons take 5 minutes or less and cover an ever-expanding range of topics including email marketing, customer service, managing your finances, and more.

To start learning, simply download the app on your phone or tablet. Then, choose from a variety of topics to find lessons relevant to you and your business or career.