On 5 August 2019, Google and UOB announced the launch of the SME Leadership Academy – a new training programme for small- and medium-sized enterprise business leaders. Launched by Guest-of-Honour, Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Chan Chun Sing, the programme aims to help companies accelerate their digital transformation and compete more effectively in the digital economy.

The SME Leadership Academy programme, which is supported by Digital Industry Singapore (DISG) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), was developed based on feedback gathered from more than 100 SMEs from earlier pilot batches across various industries such as retail, F&B, engineering, manufacturing and travel. Through the feedback, SME leaders shared their desire for practical advice that would enable them to leverage digital tools to address critical business issues.

"SMEs are the bedrock of Singapore’s economy, and helping them succeed is paramount to building a bright future in the digital economy," said Ms Stephanie Davis, Managing Director of Google Southeast Asia.

As part of the new programme, interactive discussions and lessons will be led by business leaders from Google, UOB and other enterprises, and SMEs will learn how to generate digital marketing strategies, implement data-driven HR solutions and use other kinds of software to boost their efficiency.

Mr Chan noted that while SMEs in Singapore make up 99 per cent of all businesses and employ 72 per cent of the workforce, collectively, they contribute only 47 per cent of the country’s GDP. He added that one of the ways SMEs can raise their game and contribute more is through digitalisation.

Mr Frederick Chin, Head of Group Wholesale Banking and Markets at UOB said, "Through the SME Leadership Academy, we hope that SMEs will be able to gain the necessary skills and expertise to use technology to improve their performance and to provide a better customer experience."

SME business leaders who are interested in the SME Leadership Academy can visit https://leadershipacademy.withgoogle.com/ to express their interest in the programme.