MSME Minister Appreciates App Developer's Efforts to Improve Driver Partner Capacity
Minister of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Maman Abdurrahman has expressed appreciation for Grab Indonesia’s efforts to expand access to learning, skills development, and education for driver partners and merchant partners through GrabAcademy. According to him, these efforts can open up more opportunities for partners to improve their capacity and develop sources of livelihood according to their abilities and aspirations.
Maman assessed that improving the capacity of driver partners should not necessarily be interpreted as an obligation to leave the profession they have been pursuing. He said the concept of ‘moving up a class’ should instead be understood as an effort to broaden capabilities and choices so that each partner can develop through a path that suits their needs.
“The spirit of ‘moving up a class’ should not be interpreted as an obligation to leave the profession one is engaged in, but rather as an effort to expand capacity and choices so that they can continue to develop according to their respective aspirations,” said Maman.
He said every job carried out responsibly to meet family needs has value, including the profession of driver partner. Therefore, access to learning, protection, and business development opportunities is considered important to support the sustainability of partners’ livelihoods.
Maman added that the government, the business world, and various stakeholders have a role in opening up such access. However, making use of available opportunities still requires willingness, perseverance, and effort from each individual.
The appreciation was conveyed in line with the expansion of GrabAcademy as a platform for learning and skills development for driver partners and merchant partners. The platform is directed at helping partners improve their abilities, strengthen business management, and open up more diverse livelihood opportunities. Throughout 2025, GrabAcademy has been accessed by more than 1.15 million driver partners. Of that number, more than 204,000 partners have completed all mandatory modules.
Meanwhile, for merchant partners, the programme provides regular online classes as well as face-to-face training. The materials cover shop management, orders and menus, promotions, advertising, customer reviews, finance, social media, and the use of technology.
GrabAcademy was first introduced in 2018 as a video library to provide basic training to driver partners. The platform has now been developed into a ‘Partner Naik Kelas’ (Partners Moving Up a Class) platform with several development pathways, ranging from Mitra Melaju for development from GrabBike to GrabCar, Mitra Pengusaha (Entrepreneur Partners), Mitra Kreator (Creator Partners), Mitra Instruktur (Instructor Partners), to Beasiswa Mitra (Partner Scholarships).
Chief Executive Officer of Grab Indonesia Neneng Goenadi said the development of GrabAcademy is aimed at providing space for partners to improve their abilities and explore new opportunities according to their respective needs.
“GrabAcademy is here to provide space so that every Driver Partner can continue to grow and fight for their hopes in the way most relevant to them,” said Neneng.
According to Neneng, the partner development process does not have to bring all individuals to the same path. Some partners can continue to develop as drivers, while others can build businesses, become part of the MSME ecosystem, develop themselves as creators, or become instructors.
In addition to skills training, access to higher education is also part of partner capacity development. Through Beasiswa Mitra, 4,732 partners and children of partners have gained access to continue higher education, one of which is through cooperation with Universitas Terbuka channelled through Benihbaik.com.
Meanwhile, through GrabScholar, since 2022 the programme has reached more than 5,700 beneficiaries with total education assistance reaching Rp25.8 billion. Beneficiaries include families of driver partners, merchant partners, and the general public.
The education programme is part of the GrabForGood initiative which has been expanded to five Southeast Asian countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Indonesia is recorded as the largest contributor with nearly 70 percent of the total programme impact in the region.
Rector of Universitas Terbuka Ali Muktiyanto said collaboration between the business world and higher education institutions in providing access to education can help improve individual capacity while opening up opportunities for social mobility.
According to him, a flexible learning system allows partners to continue carrying out their work activities while pursuing higher education.
“With an open, flexible, and technology-based learning system, partners do not have to choose between working and continuing their education. They can do both simultaneously,” said Ali.
The development of GrabAcademy and the education pathways are part of the ‘Grab Bersinergi: Selamanya Melaju, Selamanya Bersatu’ series in the momentum of the 81st Anniversary of Indonesian Independence. The initiative brings together driver partners, merchant partners, users, the government, communities, and strategic partners to expand access to learning and growth opportunities in the digital economy ecosystem.
With the various pathways available, partner capacity building is not only directed at work skills, but also includes education, entrepreneurship, creativity, and the development of income sources. This is in line with the government’s view that the process of ‘moving up a class’ can be pursued through various pathways according to each partner’s abilities and aspirations.