The Armed Forces Veterans Affairs Corporation (PERHEBAT) has partnered with the National Entrepreneurship Institute (INSKEN) to roll out a comprehensive business empowerment initiative designed to transform military veterans into successful entrepreneurs. The PUVET ATM Master Class programme, now in its pilot phase, represents a strategic shift towards hands-on mentoring rather than classroom-based instruction, marking a significant evolution in how Malaysia supports this economically vulnerable segment of society.
Announcing the initiative at its launch in Petaling Jaya on June 15, PERHEBAT director-general Datuk Amir Md Noor outlined an ambitious target to enrol 180 small traders and micro entrepreneurs from the veteran community. Beyond merely improving their existing business capabilities, the programme carries a broader policy objective: establishing robust Bumiputera ownership across a wider cross-section of the retail and service sectors. This focus on equity-building responds to longstanding concerns about concentration of wealth and market participation among certain demographic groups in Malaysia's economy.
The partnership between PERHEBAT and INSKEN signals recognition that effective entrepreneurship support requires more than classroom theory. Participants will receive three months of intensive individual coaching from certified industry trainers, with close monitoring of their sales performance and strategic decision-making throughout the period. This personalised approach stands in contrast to PERHEBAT's previous training model, which relied heavily on conventional teaching methods. The shift reflects international best practice in entrepreneurship development, where ongoing mentorship and real-time performance feedback consistently outperform one-off training interventions.
Datuk Amir articulated an aspirational objective for the programme: transforming participating veterans into millionaires. While such language might appear optimistic, it speaks to a deliberate policy ambition rather than mere rhetoric. Creating wealth among veterans carries both social and political significance in Malaysia, where this population has historically faced challenges in transitioning from military service to civilian economic participation. A successful cohort of veteran entrepreneurs could also serve as role models and mentors for subsequent generations seeking civilian livelihoods.
The PUVET ATM initiative itself is not entirely new; PERHEBAT has been implementing the programme since 2023, and the results thus far provide encouraging evidence. According to Datuk Amir, 313 veteran entrepreneurs across the country have already received funding through the Rural Entrepreneurship Strengthening Support Grant (SPKLB), with a total grant injection of RM1.6 million. This financial support reflects collaboration spanning multiple government entities, including the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) and MARA, indicating broad institutional backing for veteran entrepreneurship at the federal level.
The expanded masterclass represents scaling up of what appears to be a working model. By formalising the mentoring relationship and introducing INSKEN's field-monitoring capabilities, PERHEBAT aims to improve outcomes and create more reliable pathways to business success. The choice of INSKEN as a partner reflects deliberate institutional selection; the agency brings fieldwork expertise and systematic mechanisms for tracking entrepreneur performance beyond what PERHEBAT could provide independently. This collaborative approach mirrors growing recognition across Southeast Asian development agencies that siloed approaches to entrepreneurship support often fail to deliver sustainable results.
For veterans specifically, the programme addresses a genuine economic challenge. Transitioning from military employment to civilian business requires not only capital but also different skill sets, market knowledge, and networks. Many veterans lack direct exposure to private-sector business practices or connections to suppliers, customers, and financial institutions. A structured mentoring environment with certified trainers provides both practical knowledge transfer and potentially valuable professional relationships that can accelerate business growth. The three-month timeline, while compressed, reflects acknowledgment that many participants likely cannot afford extended absence from their business operations.
The broader implications for Malaysia's economy extend beyond immediate job creation and wealth generation among veterans. Successfully embedding Bumiputera entrepreneurs across diverse sectors strengthens the overall competitiveness of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which collectively drive significant employment and innovation. Veterans, by definition, have demonstrated discipline, leadership experience, and ability to function in high-pressure environments—qualities that often translate well to business management. Channelling these traits into entrepreneurship potentially yields economic returns beyond the immediate participant group.
The PERHEBAT Transformation Plan 2026-2035 provides additional context for this initiative. By May, the organisation had facilitated 1,224 job placements for veterans, with 631 securing positions in high-performance sectors offering monthly salaries between RM2,500 and RM5,000. These figures indicate that PERHEBAT's broader mandate encompasses both employment support and entrepreneurship pathways. The masterclass represents one component of a comprehensive strategy to ensure economic security and advancement across the veteran population, combining wage employment, self-employment, and entrepreneurial opportunities according to individual circumstances and capabilities.
The masterclass also reflects international trends in veteran support policy. Globally, developed nations increasingly recognise that military service provides transferable skills valuable in civilian contexts, and strategic support during economic transition reduces unemployment, social costs, and mental health challenges associated with service-to-civilian transitions. Malaysia's deliberate investment in veteran entrepreneurship aligns with this international recognition while also serving domestic policy objectives around Bumiputera equity and regional economic development.
As the pilot programme unfolds, the metrics that will matter most include business survival rates, revenue generation, and employment creation among participating veterans. Success will likely drive expansion and refinement of the model, potentially extending INSKEN's involvement to subsequent cohorts. The stated ambition of creating millionaires, while ambitious, sets a clear direction and measurable benchmark against which programme effectiveness can be assessed. Whether measured against this aspirational target or more conservative metrics, the PUVET ATM Master Class represents a meaningful investment in human capital and economic inclusion within Malaysia's veteran community.
