adminKUALA LUMPUR — The National Entrepreneurship Institute (INSKEN) continues to play a key role in strengthening Malaysia’s micro and small enterprise sector through structured training, intensive mentoring and continuous business monitoring, the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives said in Parliament.
Responding to a question from Sungai Besar Member of Parliament Datuk Muslimin bin Yahaya, the KUSKOP Ministry explained that INSKEN serves as the country’s main entrepreneurship training institution, with a focus on building strong business foundations among micro and small entrepreneurs before they progress to higher levels of growth.
According to the Ministry, INSKEN implements structured and targeted entrepreneurship training and mentoring programmes that cover core business competencies, including business and financial management, operations, sales and marketing, digitalisation and technology adoption. These interventions are designed based on actual business needs and the maturity level of entrepreneurs, enabling participants to apply the skills and knowledge directly in their daily operations.
The Ministry added that INSKEN’s approach also helps entrepreneurs address business challenges, improve business models, enhance financial performance and strengthen long-term business sustainability.
In addition, INSKEN has been appointed as the main implementing agency for the development and empowerment of social enterprises in Malaysia, in line with priorities under the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13). Its responsibilities include providing targeted training and mentoring, implementing social enterprise rating initiatives and strengthening strategic collaboration among government agencies and stakeholders to ensure sustainable and impactful social enterprise development.
Highlighting INSKEN’s achievements, the Ministry said that in 2025 the institute successfully trained and mentored 20,196 entrepreneurs nationwide, covering all states and representing a 92 per cent increase compared with 2024. Entrepreneurs who participated in INSKEN’s programmes recorded cumulative sales of RM22.4 million, with an average sales growth of 25 per cent after completing the mentoring programmes.
INSKEN’s efforts in developing the social entrepreneurship ecosystem have also received international recognition. Its initiatives were named Public Social Innovator of the Year 2026 by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Schwab Foundation, with the award presented on 21 January 2026 in Davos, Switzerland.
The Ministry said these achievements reflect INSKEN’s effectiveness as a national entrepreneurship training agency in enhancing the skills, performance and competitiveness of micro and small entrepreneurs, in line with Malaysia’s national entrepreneurship development agenda.
