Skills mismatch is one of the key challenges in ensuring smooth transition from school-to-work and in ensuring the absorption of young job seekers, particularly graduates of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET), by the industries. Unsuitable curriculum of TVET institutes with the skill demands of the industry is one identified reasons for skills mismatch.

To address the skills mismatch and to boost greater partnership between TVET and industry, the ILO in collaboration with the Ministry of Manpower, Public Vocational Training Centre (BBPLK) in Bekasi and Animation Industrial Sector Association (AINAKI) conducted a webinar on digital art and animation skills on 13 May. It aimed to share the industrial sector perspective and identify gap for improving training curriculum on animation skills.

“Why animation skills? The digital animation skills has a potential to grow in the region and absorbing job seekers particularly youth. This is also the skills development provided by BBPLK Bekasi through its motion graphic and movie animator courses. Therefore, it is important to build a partnership between TVET and industry,” explained Tauvik Muhamad, the ILO’s project manager of skills development.

BBPLK Bekasi is the public vocational training centre focusing on information and communication technology (ICT) and electronic skills. On the ICT, for example, BBPLK Bekasi offers 12 training courses on, among others, graphic designs, IT software solution for business and mobile programming, as well as web development.

During the webinar, Darryl Wilson, Chairperson of AINAKI, shared current skills demand, competency standard, job training and scope of work of production stages, resource market share and its career development in the animation industry. Together with the Ministry of Information and Communication, the AINAKI developed a National Working Standard Competency for Design (Animation).

“The Indonesia’s animation industry has been flourishing in the past five years. We want to create animators who are able to help Indonesia flourish in the world of animation and we greatly appreciate the opportunity to work with relevant partners to ensure that graduates from vocational training centres are in line with the needs of this growing industry,” he said.

Tri Pudji Astanti, Head of Division of Ministry of Manpower Training System and Method Development praised the workshop. “This is the kind of partnership that we need to develop and strengthen as we need greater involvement of industries in the TVET system to ensure that we can create qualified, skilled workers that are suitable with demands of industries and the fast changing technology in this 4.0 industrial revolution,” she stated.

The webinar concluded with the initiative to strengthen the partnership between TVET and industry. “This webinar will be followed by follow-up meetings to further review the existing curriculum on animation skills and to have the involvement of industry like AINAKI in the teaching process,” added Tauvik.

The ILO’s support on skills development was given through its Industry Skills for Inclusive Growth (In-Sight) Project. Funded by the Government of Japan, the second phase of this project aims to promote mechanisms and practical approaches that enable industries and workplaces to become drivers of sustainable and inclusive growth in the Asian region. In Indonesia, the project closely works with government, workers’ and employers’ organizations.