- Grab Malaysia introduces ‘GrabAcademy for Women’, to help develop the skills of female driver and delivery-partners on the platform.
- Grab highlights exceptional and inspiring female stories on the platform, in conjunction with International Women’s Day (IWD).
PETALING JAYA, 7 March 2020 – In celebration of International Women’s Day, homegrown Grab, held a luncheon in honour of the extraordinary and exceptional women driver and delivery-partners on the platform who have helped grow the business to what it is today.
The event, which was attended by almost 150 female driver and delivery-partners, together with their friends and families, also saw the introduction of ‘GrabAcademy for Women’. ‘GrabAcademy for Women’ is an extension of the platform’s upskilling programme to help in the personal and professional development of its female partners in the gig economy.
“Over the years, we have heard countless amazing stories from the women on our platform. And these stories truly drive us to do more for our community of partners on the platform. At Grab, we are continuously developing more ways to support our driver and delivery-partners, not just by creating additional income opportunities but also avenues for them to progress in the digital economy. This is vital to help them to continue upskilling themselves both professionally and personally. Therefore, GrabAcademy’s objective is to ensure that no one is left behind as the economy progresses by equipping them with the necessary skills. As the nation progresses, we are dedicated to assisting all Malaysians to grow along with it and benefit from the digital economy.” says Rashid Shukor, Head of Operations at Grab Malaysia.
Upskilling The Gig Economy
‘GrabAcademy for Women’ is an opportunity for women in Grab to learn useful and practical skills that will assist them in the long run. This is part of Grab’s continuous efforts to invest in their partners while assisting in improving their life skills. Moreover, this will also be an opportunity for them to meet other females who are earning on the platform too.
The courses are specially curated based on feedback received over the years on what women want to learn and improve on. To kick-start, the first course will be on Personal FInance Management to educate them on how to better manage their personal finance, and other topics such as daily expenses, car loans, student debts, taxes and investments. The class, which will be conducted by CIMB Malaysia will also include helping them to make the most out of their earnings.
Moving forward, Grab will be working together with other business partners to offer courses covering a broad range of topics. Other courses lined up include Safety and Vehicle Maintenance, Health and Wellness, Language courses, and workshops to better handle physically impaired passengers. ‘GrabAcademy for Women’ will be available exclusively for female partners effective March 2020.
Empowering & Inspirational Women
From just an e-hailing company, Grab is now an inclusive platform that provides accessible income opportunities for all Malaysians from all walks of life, despite their background, physical (dis)abilities, races and religious belief.
As part of the event, three of Grab’s driver and delivery partners took the stage to share their inspiring stories.
- Nurain binti Paker Seelan, 44 years old, part-time driver-partner.
“I started driving with Grab in January 2019 after being in the food and beverage industry my whole life. When I first joined, I met countless female drivers who shared their experiences with me. I was inspired by their tenacity as female drivers and it was then that I decided that I could really turn this into a promising career. Since then I’ve been able to save enough money not only to purchase my own car but also start up my own business. Driving Grab really helped kickstart my own business, but most importantly, the flexibility allowed me to spend more time with my children as they’re growing up, and I’m really thankful for that.” - Shee Pooi Yee, 31 years old, full-time driver-partner.
“As a single mom of two sons, time is really important to me. Before driving with Grab I dabbled in a lot of different jobs such as sales and telemarketing, but it was really difficult juggling my time between raising my kids and supporting them financially. I heard from friends and family that Grab was a convenient career option, so the minute that I upgraded my P driving licence, I quickly signed up to become a Grab driver and never looked back. Now I have more time to be with my kids while also providing for them. If my children aren’t feeling well, I can easily go home early and look after them which is something I wasn’t able to do before and it’s this flexibility that I love.” - Faridah binti Mustaphai, 41 years old, full-time delivery-partner.
“I used to work as a merchandiser and I would never have imagined that I’d one day become a GrabFood delivery-partner. As food delivery services are generally seen as a male dominated field, a lot of customers are usually surprised when i show up with their orders. And even though the majority of food delivery riders are men, it doesn’t mean that women aren’t capable of pursuing this as a career. That’s one of my goals, to break down the gender stereotype and show everyone that women should be seen as equals. Some people have asked me if I was scared to do this job. I tell them that there’s always going to be concerns and danger in everything you do, but you shouldn’t let your fear hold you back.”
“This is the third year we’re celebrating International Women’s Day with our female partners and we are committed to growing the number of women who are using our platform as a source of income, while striving to improve our ecosystem to serve them better. Moving forward, we want to enable more of our partners and Malaysians alike to embrace and benefit from the digital economy.” says Shukor.
