University cooperation with technology companies - the role of digital platforms in the education and training of e-commerce skills

The rapidly growing digital economy worldwide is seen as a significant opportunity for countries in the Global South to improve their economic positioning and increase prosperity. Numerous governments are therefore striving to advance digitization in businesses, including the retail sector. Digital trading platforms like Alibaba pursue the same goal and are committed to promoting the digitization of trade and developing e-commerce competencies. At the heart of this project is Alibaba's Global Digital Talent (GDT) program, which was launched as part of the electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP). The initiative aims to facilitate international trade and strengthen digital skills globally (eWTP 2024).
As part of the GDT program, the technology company collaborates with universities in Malaysia and actively contributes to the education of students in e-commerce. The GDT program promotes digital competencies and e-commerce knowledge worldwide by offering courses, workshops, and certifications in collaboration with educational institutions, government agencies, and industry partners. While initial studies on the eWTP initiative are already available (e.g., He 2024; Johnston 2021; Naughton 2020; Zhang 2023), research on education in the e-commerce sector within the framework of the eWTP has been significantly underrepresented so far.

The goal is to contribute to the rapidly increasing global education in e-commerce competencies, which is crucial for a successful digital economy worldwide. This involves analyzing the underlying mechanisms, relationships, and collaborations between educational institutions (universities) and platform companies (Alibaba Group) in Malaysia, as well as developing a conceptualization aligned with economic geography questions regarding the role of trading platforms and education on spatial impacts.