AirAsia Digital partners Google to open RedBeat Academy to Malaysians

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AirAsia Digital has tied up with Google to launch the RedBeat Academy. Initially set up to upskill and cross-train its employees through a series of tech workshops in areas such as AI, machine learning, cybersecurity, big data and software engineering, the academy has now opened its doors to the public. This comes shortly after the airline rebranded RedBeat Ventures to AirAsia Digital recently, comprising three main pillars - Venture Builder, RedBeat Academy and Data Centre.

Redbeat Academy will focus on serving five segments - AirAsia Allstars, corporate and SMEs, government agencies, universities and public individuals, with at least 100,000 talents to be tapped on a yearly basis to provide solutions in three main areas. They are Skills Development Programme; Betabuild Labs, a programme offered by AirAsia supported Google to help enterprises incubate new digital businesses with employees; and career coaching and hiring service.

In addition, Redbeat Academy has also signed a partnership with the Malaysian Industry-Government Group of High Technology (MIGHT) to reskill a pool of talent in software engineering and high technology projects, such as blockchain and data, and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Universiti Malaya and Asia School of Business in collaboration with MIT Sloan Management. The partnership will see a micro-credential awarded to Redbeat Academy courses and acknowledging it as part of the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning.

The move comes as part of the Academy’s objective and direction to build a future-ready next generation by providing a one-stop service in tech, leadership and innovation that will be a vital catalyst for the digital economy in Malaysia and the wider ASEAN.

AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes said with the mission to empower, connect and develop a sustainable tech talent pipeline, it is also proud to open the academy to the public now to provide opportunities for everyone, with the focus on mentoring the best in breed industry-ready professionals and producing problem-solvers using technology.

"Everyone needs to keep learning, growing and embracing the ever-changing tech landscape to ensure that we can stay relevant in this digital economy. I hope everyone will take this opportunity to learn new skill sets in tech so we can together strive for greater heights as a nation," he added.

Rochana Golani, director at Google Cloud Learning Services, said cloud technology can enable sustainable growth and innovation for businesses both large and small and the RedBeat Academy will help grow cloud skills and talent across Malaysia. "As a Google Cloud Authorised Training Partner we also look forward to working with the team to deliver advanced curriculum and learning pathways to future cloud technology professionals," Golani said.

Separately, AirAsia Digital is currently led by Aireen Omar, president (AirAsia Digital), AirAsia Group and aims to create an ecosystem of businesses that connect with its customers in their everyday life. This is part of AirAsia's goal to become more than just an airline. It also comes at a time when group CEO Tony Fernandes (pictured below centre) plans to turn AirAsia into a new super app in Southeast Asia to compete against the likes of Grab, WeChat and Gojek.

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