To support the Indonesia’s development agenda 2020-2024 on productivity and competitiveness of its human capital development, the ILO joined hands with the Ministry of Manpower and Skilvul, an online training provider, to conduct a webinar, “Transformation of Online Vocational Skills Learning Programme”, on 30 June.

The webinar specifically aimed to discuss the adoption of online learning modality as an effective way to provide greater access to quality skills training in rural and remote areas not just for students, but also for the instructors.

Muchtar Azis, Acting Director of Competency Standardization and Job Training of the Ministry of Manpower, explained that Indonesia has been preparing digital transformation of its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Centres for two years with the creation of 28 e-training modules, of which the ILO assisted the development of two e-modules.

“The government has built SIAPKerja, a digital ecosystem where all services related to employment will be integrated, including skills training, job placement and industrial relation. These transformations are crucial to answer people’s needs of flexible and accessible employment services,” he explained.

In agreement, Kazutoshi Chatani, the ILO’s Employment Specialist, stated that Indonesia was in an urgent need to implement online TVET Centres given the geographic and digital divide. “Digital learning is a game changer to provide equal access to vocational skills training for everyone. It can definitely reach wider population by removing location gap while reducing the cost, making the courses more accessible and affordable through online learning and training courses,” he said.

Despite the progresses made, Muchtar recognized some challenges in the ongoing digital transformation. One of the key challenges was the preparedness of the TVETs and their instructors. “Our homework is to make the content attractive and interactive enough for young people and to ensure the digital capability of our TVET Centers and their instructors,” he added.

He, therefore, appreciated initiatives taken by the ILO to assist the Ministry of Manpower in the digital transformation. The first collaboration was initiated by ILO’s Women in STEM Project on content creation and delivery of online training in 2020, reaching out to 180 instructors from 131 TVET centers in 28 provinces. This initiative was continued by the ILO’s Industry Skills for Inclusive Growth (INSIGHT) Phase 2 Project and the Unemployment Protection (UNIQLO) Project, reaching out to 99 instructors from 17 TVET centers in 17 provinces.

Dwi Juwita, an instructor of TVET Sorong in Papua Barat province, who also participated in the instructors’ training programme, hoped that the government would continue the programme with reskilling and upskilling training programmes on digital skills for the instructors. “Continuation of the programme is key for us, the instructors, to always be able to upgrade our knowledge so that we can catch up with the latest development of online learning platforms,” hoped Dwi.

William Hendrajaya, Chief of Business of Skilvul, emphasized the key roles of instructors in the digital transformation. “We believe that instructors play important roles in online learning to validate students’ understanding and facilitate discussion and questions. Thus, it is necessary for the instructors to be equipped with online pedagogical skills as well as familiarized with online learning features,” he elaborated.

The ILO through its (INSIGHT) Phase 2 Project, funded by the Government of Japan, and the UNIQLO Project, funded by the Fast Retailing, Co., Ltd, will continue to facilitate knowledge sharing and provide supports in relation to online TVET transformation and digital skills development in Indonesia.

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