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Sookmyung Women's University (President, Yun-Keum Chang) successfully hosted a training program by inviting trainers responsible for the local e-Business and Digital Skills training for women entrepreneurs in the ASEAN member states. 

From July 3rd (Monday) to July 12th (Wednesday), Asia Pacific Women’s Information Network Center (APWINC), a UNESCO chair organization in Communication Technology for Women, at Sookmyung Women's University, held the 'Training of Trainers on E-Business and Digital Skills for ASEAN Women MSMEs.' The 10-day training took place at the Grand Ballroom Halla in Seoul Dragon City, Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

This training is a part of the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Project on ‘Enhancing Digital Economy for ASEAN Women MSMEs' project implemented by Asia Pacific Women’s Information Network Center at Sookmyung Women’s University.

The training had the participation of 200 experts in e-business and digital fields from ASEAN countries, and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea and the ASEAN Secretariat.

These experts will function as trainers, imparting digital economic participation skills to 4,002 women micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) across the ASEAN region. The Training of Trainers aims to equip them with a wide range of e-business content and deliver customized education tailored to the specific circumstances of each country.

President Yunkeum Chang stated, "We will lead this ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund project's Training of Trainers program successfully, leveraging Sookmyung Women’s University’s advantage of nurturing women entrepreneurs," and added, "By strengthening the digital skills necessary for successful e-business, we are confident that it will make a lasting impact on the lives of women entrepreneurs with Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) across the ASEAN region."

The executive director of APWINC, Dr. Jung-in Jo, highlighted the essential importance of mentors in supporting numerous entrepreneurial women in the ASEAN region to effectively embrace digital transformation. She expressed, “If ASEAN women MSMEs become pioneers of digital innovation, it will have significant ripple effects on the overall ASEAN economy.”

On the initial day of the training, a panel discussion took place featuring Ms. Sun-Yong Lee (CEO of Perfitt), Ms. Rae-Hyun Sung (CEO of Ludens Partners) and Ms. Vania Karimah Wachfiyudin (Officer of the ASEAN Secretariat). They engaged in an in-depth conversation about successful strategies for ASEAN women entrepreneurs' participation in the digital economy, offering valuable advice to participants about persevering despite gender biases and encouraging them to embrace their roles as inspirations to themselves. 

A participant from Thailand said, "It was a precious opportunity to contemplate ways to apply the competitive experiences of successful Korean female entrepreneurs to ASEAN."

According to a representative from Asia Pacific Women’s Information Network Center at Sookmyung Women’s University, "Through this training, participants will gain essential skills needed in the digital economy era, becoming key players who will lead success in the e-business sector in the future." The representative also expressed high expectations for this training to aid the digital economic participation of ASEAN women MSMEs and achieve sustainable growth.

After completing the training, participants had the opportunity to visit the National Museum of Korea and Sookmyung Women's University, enhancing mutual understanding of Korean culture and strengthening cooperation amongst participants and APWINC.

 Meanwhile, in January 2022, Asia Pacific Women’s Information Network Center at Sookmyung Women’s University was officially approved as the executing agency for the “Enhancing Digital Economy Participation for ASEAN Women Micro-, Small-, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) Project,” or “IDEAS Project,” a 5-year project funded by the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund (AKCF). This project, which will be funded with a total of 6.7 billion Korean won until 2026, is expected to benefit 14 partner institutions within ASEAN, 255 e-business experts, and 4,002 women who own micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the ASEAN region."