Digital skills provide bright opportunities in COVID-hit Indonesia

ILO-sponsored e-commerce training, offered as part of a UN joint programme, is empowering participants and small business owners to expand their reach and market.

Feature | Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia | 08 October 2021
TANGERANG, Indonesia  (ILO news) - Roemahweb.com's founder Nur Hamim was forced to quit his job as a clerk at a security services company when he fell ill. Yet, he did not lose hope and began to seek new ways to earn a living.

Nur Hamim
Armed with a strong interest in the information technology field, Mr Hamim, 30,  made a foray into the fledgling digital sector, which he believed had huge potential. Studying through online tutorials, Mr Hamim taught himself web development skills.

“Although I have learned from and watched a lot of tutorials, I still felt that I lacked some skills,” he said.

This training gave me a chance to realize my dream and start my web development business."

Nur Hamim, Founder of Roemahweb.com
In August, Mr Hamim found out about the ILO’s digital skills training. Having his heart set on improving his skills, Mr Hamim joined the training, which focused on e-commerce web development using the Wordpress platform.

“This training gave me a chance to realize my dream and start my web development business,” he said. Mr Hamim, who lives in Tangerang, Banten, was one of the participants representing vulnerable groups from several regions in Indonesia.

The five-day Web Development: Wordpress for e-Commerce training is part of the Employment and Livelihood project, a joint  United Nations (UN) initiative, funded by the UN COVID-19 Response and Recovery Multi-Partner Trust Fund (UN MPTF).

“These digital skills trainings are expected to assist the public, particularly those coming from vulnerable groups to be able to immediately back on their feet again and be part of the blooming digital economy sector in Indonesia after the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Navitri Putri Guillaume, ILO’s project officer for the Employment and Livelihood project.

These digital skills trainings are expected to assist the public particularly those coming from vulnerable groups, to help them get back on their feet again, and be part of the blooming digital economy sector in Indonesia after the COVID-19 pandemic."

Navitri Putri Guillaume, ILO’s project officer for the Employment and Livelihood project
The beginner-level web developer training taught participants basic knowledge and steps to build a web page, including installing Wordpress, utilising plugins and adding features for online businesses. The participants also learned about basic search engine optimisation, or SEO, to boost their websites’ ranking by online search engines.

At the end of the training, all participants were assigned to a traineeship programme to implement their new knowledge and skills. For one month, Mr Hamim handled a web development project for a real client, Bali-based F&B business Warung Sasti.

During the traineeship, Mr Hamim diligently went through the steps to serve clients. He built a relationship with his client that allowed him to understand their needs in building a website to showcase and sell their products.

He successfully directed the owner of Warung Sasti to provide content such as beautiful pictures. Alongside his client, they reviewed other websites to find inspiration and determine essential features to be included in the website. 

His work paid off.

Nur Hamim is building his web business
“After the traineeship, I continued to work in several paid projects, such as installing additional menus on the website as well as creating videos and a company profile, for Warung Sasti,” said Mr Hamim, beaming with pride.

In addition to gaining new skills, the experience that he attained during the traineeship helped build Mr Hamim’s confidence to launch his own web development company, roemahweb.com.

“The portal was inaugurated to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) build their website at an affordable price,” said Mr Hamim. He has a high hope that roemahweb.com will help SMEs improve and expand online.

“The adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to work harder to make ends meet. it is compulsory now more than ever before for business players to continue innovating, including by adopting new technology," he said.

Mr Hamim’s success in netting his first client, a building demolition contractor, is a source of inspiration for his fellow participants on the web development training programme. He is also optimistic in facing challenges by continuously expanding his skills and knowledge. “We must strive to stay curious and thirsty for new knowledge,” he added.