Bank Mandiri Persero Tbk PT : 8,377 Indonesian Migrant Workers Benefit from Entrepreneurship Training

Hong Kong, 13 December 2015 - Bank Mandiri continues to spread the entrepreneurial spirit through the 'Mandiri Sahabatku' program aimed at Indonesian migrant workers (BMI). The program, which has been run by Mandiri University since 2011, has to date provided entrepreneurship training to 8,377 migrant workers in Hong Kong, Malaysia and South Korea.

Bank Mandiri CEO Budi G. Sadikin said that the program was intended to provide the motivation and skills needed to ensure a better future for BMI when they return to Indonesia. This time around, some 800 BMI received entrepreneurship training at the Excelsior Hotel in Hong Kong on Sunday (13/12).

'This is an endeavor by Bank Mandiri as a state-owned company to help migrant workers be independent when they return to the homeland,' said Budi.

To achieve its objectives, Mandiri Sahabatku has four main focuses, namely, turning migrants into employers, uniting families through entrepreneurship, improving welfare and the environment, and enhancing intellectuality.

In Hong Kong, the program has been held since October 2011, and has drawn increasing interest from BMI over the years, as shown by the fact that the number of participants has increased from 20 in the program's first year to an average of 1,000 participants currently for each intake.

The entrepreneurship training program is divided into 3 stages, namely, pre-placement, placement and post-placement. During the pre-placement stage, prospective BMI are introduced to savings and remittance products. To that end, the bank works together with the BNP2TKI to disseminate information on its banking products.

During the next stage, placement in the destination country, BMI are trained to analyze business opportunities and create business plans, and are provided with motivation and entrepreneurial spirit.

During the post-placement stage, the BMI receive assistance from Bank Mandiri to start their businesses through the Dadi Majikan program, as part of which they receive guidance from a mentor who is a businessperson, Bank Mandiri customer, Mandiri Young Entrepreneur alumni or Mandiri University lecturer.

'Participation in the Mandiri Sahabatku program is free of charge. The program's vision is to create new entrepreneurs from among the ranks of Indonesian migrant workers so that they become employers in their own country,' Budi said.