Vocational education and training support youth competency in digital era

The ILO and Kompas TV Digital, a leading TV media network, organized a live talkshow on skills development for youth in digital era, highlighting the importance of the involvement of industries.

News | Jakarta, Indonesia | 01 July 2022
The low quality of the workforce, which has not been able to respond to the development of labor market needs, is one of the reasons why Indonesia’s productivity and competitiveness are still lagging. This picture is revealed from the results of the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking survey in 2021, which placed Indonesia at 37th globally out of a total of 64 countries. The data shows that Indonesia is still lower in terms of digital competitiveness compared to several countries in Southeast Asia.



A similar picture was also revealed from research by the University of Indonesia and the International Labour Organization (ILO) concerning the employment of graduates of Vocational Training Centers (BLKs) by the industrial world. It was found that the employment of BLK graduates only reached 59.9 per cent. This shows that the need for skilled, creative, innovative, adaptive, and digitally capable workforce has not been optimally met by BLKs.

We appreciate the issuance of the Presidential Regulation which engages the industry. This Presidential Regulation plays a role in establishing an agency/mechanism that can and is able to provide input for the development of competency standards, adjustment of the vocational curriculum and accreditation in accordance with industry needs."

Tauvik Muhamad, Project Manager of the ILO-Japan's Industry Skills for Inclusive Growth Phase-2 (InSIGHT-2)
Therefore, Tauvik Muhamad, Project Manager of the ILO-Japan's Industry Skills for Inclusive Growth Phase-2 (InSIGHT-2), emphasized that Indonesia must immediately accelerate the improvement the skills of youth. Moreover, currently, there areI many instruments issued by the government to support these efforts. One of them is a regulation recently issued by the President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) through Presidential Regulation No. 68 of 2022 concerning Revitalization of Vocational Education and Training. In the regulation, the involvement of the industry element is really emphasized to encourage the improvement of the competency quality of the youth.

“We appreciate the issuance of the Presidential Regulation which engages the industry. This Presidential Regulation plays a role in establishing an agency/mechanism that can and is able to provide input for the development of competency standards, adjustment of the vocational curriculum and accreditation in accordance with industry needs,” said Tauvik in the TV programme of Sit Down with Rosi for the episode of Young and Competent in the Digital Age, Has the World of Work Played a Role?” hosted by the Chief Editor of Kompas TV, Rosiana Silalahi on end of June.

To ensure the industry involvement in the development of human capital, Tauvik reminded that there is a need for a forum that provides opportunities for the industry to contribute to the development of vocational skills. It includes developing competency standardization and vocational training programmes and quality apprenticeships, especially in the emerging industrial sectors with the potential to employ workforce,

Tauvik Muhamad, Project Manager of the ILO-Japan's Industry Skills for Inclusive Growth Phase-2 (InSIGHT-2) highlighted the crucial involvement of the industries in Indonesia's skills development initiatives.
“Therefore, the ILO with the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs are working together to promote a sector approach to establish a Sectoral Skills Council. The ILO provides technical supports for the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) in order to allow them play the roles of the Sectoral Skills Council in developing vocational skills that are in line with market demands, including an effort to establish a Sectoral Skills Board,” he explained.

In order for human resources to remain competitive in the digital era, it is necessary to add skills by means of reskiling or upskilling. The increase in job opportunities must also be in line with the increase of investment. If not anticipated, the industrial revolution can shift into a social revolution."

Arsjad Rasjid, General Chairperson of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin)
Meanwhile, the General Chairperson of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), Arsjad Rasjid reminded that Indonesian workers must be able to adapt in this era of the industrial revolution 4.0. Currently, said Arsjad, the adoption of digitalization by Indonesian companies is only 20 per cent, while in other countries such as Singapore, Korea and China, it has reached 40 per cent.

“In order for human resources to remain competitive in the digital era, it is necessary to add skills by means of reskiling or upskilling. The increase in job opportunities must also be in line with the increase of investment. If not anticipated, the industrial revolution can shift into a social revolution," explained Arsjad.

For that, according to Arsjad, Presidential Regulation No. 68 must be able to serve as a common guide and all parties need to work together to formulate effective strategies to deal with issues in this field. Even, he emphasized, if needed, junior and senior high school students could be equipped with the skills to be better prepared for the future by engaging HR providers and employers so that the competencies provided are in line with the needs.

With qualified teachers, the training participants are also competitive in meeting the standards required by the industry."

Muchtar Aziz, Director of Competency Standardization and Training Programme of the Directorate of Vocational Training and Productivity of the Ministry of Manpower
Director of Competency Standardization and Training Programme of the Directorate of Vocational Training and Productivity of the Ministry of Manpower, Muchtar Aziz explained, the government currently continues to prepare the provision of digital and flexible infrastructure and training content as an effort to face the peak of the demographic bonus in 2030.

He cited, as an example, the visit of the Minister of Manpower, Ida Fauziyah, to the WIFI Burgenland Vocational Training Center in Eisenstadt, Austria, as an effort to promote industrial participation and involvement in the development of vocational training. The Ministry of Manpower plans to adapt the concept of competency development and the facilities available there in order to improve the ability of Indonesian vocational students to compete in the world of work.

In addition, he also emphasized the role of industrial apprenticeship programs that will further improve competence and smooth the transition from the world of training and education to the world of work. However, he reminded that, not only students, teachers must also take part in apprenticeship programs in order to understand the developments in the industry. “With qualified teachers, the training participants are also competitive in meeting the standards required by the industry,” he said.

Link and match is the key to the success of vocational education. One of them is through synchronizing the curriculum and teaching materials on campus in accordance with the industry needs."

Beny Bandanadjaja, Director of Vocational Higher Education Academics, of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Research and Technology
Responding to the growing needs of the industry, Beny Bandanadjaja, Director of Vocational Higher Education Academics, of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Research and Technology, spoke about the programme of “Freedom of Learning” and certified apprenticeships. The programme allows the university to send students to try the world of work for 1-2 semesters so that they can have hands-on work experiences and learn about activities in the industry.

“Link and match is the key to the success of vocational education. One of them is through synchronizing the curriculum and teaching materials on campus in accordance with the industry needs,” he said.

Benny also emphasized the important role of the National Competency Certification Body to provide quality assurance certification for vocations. “The same competency standards in each ministry are also needed to make it easier for students to meet the required standards,” he reminded. The role of industry is important in updating competency standards to be in line and in accordance with the changing needs of the industry in the digital era.

The talk was closed with a reaffirmation by Arsjad as General Chairperson of Kadin that the industry, in general, and Kadin, in particular, are ready to play an active role with the government in developing the skills system in Indonesia.