The COVID-19 pandemic has presented significant disruption of education and training across the country, revealing that the apprenticeship system may need to adapt to more readily offer training virtually. However, pros and cons are still surrounded the implementation of the online apprenticeship programme. A remaining question is about the effectiveness of the online apprenticeship compared with the offline one.

To answer this important issue, the ILO in collaboration with the Ministry of Manpower, the Indonesian Employers’ Association (Apindo) and the InAp Group of Apprentice Academics organized a webinar to examine benefits, opportunities and challenges provided by the online apprenticeship programme, considering the pandemic has somehow accelerated the online transformation at all aspects of life, including skills development.

The webinar, held mid of July, marked the final of ILO’s series of webinars on quality apprenticeships for industries. Conducted by the Industry Skills for Inclusive Growth Phase 2 (InSight-2), aimed to promote the importance of apprenticeship programmes for improving the competency of Indonesian human resources.

Richard Mash, Director of Apprenticeships at Kaplan Financial & Member of InAp Group of Apprentice Academics, United Kingdom, highlighted that the combination of work and study has made apprenticeship programme important in smoothing the transition from school/training programme to work.

He admitted the effectiveness of the apprenticeship programme for some industrial sectors such as financial sector, digital sector and so forth. He gave an example of an apprenticeship programme for accounting programme that could be effectively conducted online. However, he reminded that online apprenticeship programme would be less effective for some sectors that require the transfer of technical skills.

“For manufacturing and construction sectors, for example, there are needs to have on-the-job training. Apprentices need to directly learn some technical skills to ensure their employability; thus, there is a need for blended type of learning to be effective,” he said.

Similarly, Bagus Semara Wima, Manpower Committee of Apindo, said that the adaption from offline to online was not easy for certain industries. He was in agreement with the Richard Marsh about the need for industries to evaluate their apprenticeship programme and find ways to adapt with the current situation.

In addition, he reminded about the need to continue enhancing policies on apprenticeships. “The regulations do not yet keep up with the new development of online apprenticeship programmes. Apindo continues to support the apprenticeship programme as a mechanism to strengthen our human capital and to enhance the synergy between educational institutions and industries,” he stated.

Demonstrating the effectiveness of the online apprenticeship programme, Dimas Wijanarko, Manager of Strategic Sourcing, PT Werkudara Nirwana Sakti, shared his experiences organizing an online apprenticeship programme for tourism sector in Yogyakarta. For one month, the company intensively conducted a client simulation programme for 71 vocational and university students.

The client simulation programme is an online apprenticeship programme that prepare the participants to be ready to work and are able to develop client-handling skills, including client-coordination and client-interaction. The programme is divided into six integrated virtual programme: presentation of lesson materials, assignments (individual and group), team coordination, internal activities, presentation to mentors and presentation to client.

“This online apprenticeship programme does not only provide technical skills, but also strengthen participants’ soft skills. Through the interaction with real clients, for example, the participants learn soft skills needed to well-serve and handle clients that are very important in the tourism sector,” explained Dimas.

One of the participants, Haliza Sugiyana, a student from SMKN 6, Yogyakarta shared the benefits she gained from this virtual programme. “I am now more confident in expressing myself,” she said. Meanwhile, other participant from the same school, Sahid Agung has developed a virtual travel agent and job divisions with his group. “We develop Kanigara Tour and Travel where I am charge as a client planner.”

The webinar concluded with the notion that the online apprenticeship programme is relevant and timely to address the issue of geographical and digital divide in Indonesia during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme is also flexible in terms of duration and goal-setting based on needs. The webinar also agreed that the programme should include a mechanism for monitoring and evaluation and could be combined with offline programme, if necessary.

The live streaming of the interactive discussion can be viewed on ILO TV Indonesia .