Efforts to Improve the Competitiveness of SMEs through Digitalization

Dream – SME digitalization seems inevitable. To improve competitiveness, the government continues to promote the UMKM Level Up program.

However, it must be acknowledged that the ability of SMEs to undergo digitalization processes is not the same. The government classifies them into four levels.

“So we have 4 levels, starting from beginner, observer, adopter, and finally leader,” said Puti Adela Elvina, Chairperson of the UMKM Digital Technology Adoption Team at Kemkominfo, in a talk show at Dream Day Ramadan Fest 2023 in Hall A JCC, Wednesday, April 5, 2023.

Therefore, according to Puti, this mentoring is carried out with the aim of raising the class level of SMEs so that they do not remain stagnant in that class. Due to uneven digital literacy, adjustments are needed in each training session by the facilitators.

“Sometimes these SMEs, who are producers, have a different age range compared to resellers. Based on the data we have, their age is above 40-50 years old, so we adjust the level for each SME, we ask the facilitators to adapt the modules, so it's not the same for everyone,” she explained.

Mentoring for SMEs is conducted online through various platforms or offline by directly visiting the location.

This training will target a total of 20 thousand SMEs and will be conducted for 6 months. In this training, SMEs will be taught how to maximize the use of features in e-commerce.

These include how to photograph products, describe products, use big data analytics, and even how to use chatbots so that they don't have to reply to messages one by one.

Initially, it was only about digitalization, but over time, SMEs also began to ask about business aspects. Therefore, to maximize the current training, facilitators are required to have two competencies in the digital and business fields.

This program is carried out in 15 assigned regions, namely DKI Jakarta, Banten, North Sumatra, Bangka Belitung, West Java, Central Java, East Java, Yogyakarta, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, Southeast Sulawesi, North Maluku, West Kalimantan, Papua, and West Papua. (x)