Indonesia needs at least 9 million competent digital talents by 2035 to support industrial revolution 4.0. To achieve this goal, the ILO in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology and TAFE Victoria conducted an online discussion to explore partnership opportunities between Indonesia Polytechnics and Victoria TVET Institutions in improving quality of digital skills in Indonesia.

Held at the end of June, the event was officially opened by Wikan Sakarinto, Director General of Vocational Education, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, Rebecca Hall, Victoria Commissioner to Southeast Asia, Elizabeth Campbell-Dorning, Education Counsellor of Australian Embassy in Jakarta and Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director of the ILO Office for Indonesia and Timor Leste. The opening session was followed by an interactive session, attended by representatives of Indonesian polytechnics and higher educations from across Indonesia.

The interactive discussion started with a presentation by Monica Oudang, Chairperson of Yayasan Anak Bangsa Bisa (YABB), the foundation of GOJEK, one of the biggest on-demand multi-service platform in the country. She shared her industrial perspective, emphasizing the importance of soft-skills to define success in digital industry. “Technical skills can be trained. However, those who has agility, growth mindset and problem solving skills can advance their career in this industry,” she stated.

She admitted, however, that English language remains the utmost barrier faced by Indonesian youth in the digital industry. “Technology literature and working language in digital company are mostly in English. Thus, having good proficiency in English would be an advantage,” she added.

In response to the need of English language proficiency, Adam Kilbrun, Head of Language Center at Holmesglen Institute, one of the three Australian institutes that shared their programmes in the event, presented various English training that the institute can offer to Indonesia. “English is now within everything that we do. Our institution provides different types of English course that can be customized according to Indonesian context,” he explained.

Box Hill Institute and Federation University presented their digital training programmes, including information and communication technology (ICT) and cybersecurity. These institutions also offered industry learning experiences through workplace visit and mentoring programme.

Andrew Edmiston, Education Manager for Business, Information Technology and Graphic Design of Federation University, explained that the Federation University has collaborated with the IBM through P-TECH programme. This programme offers innovative curriculum, hands-on workplace experience and links to employment and industry mentor. “We believe that involving industry in technical and vocational education will provide comprehensive supports for the students and help them build pathways to successful career in the industry,” he said.

Neil Goudge, Head of Cyber Security and ICT Programs of Box Hill Institute, highlighted the importance of cyber security and showcased the institute’s on-campus training cyber security operations centre. While there is no data from Indonesia, he quoted data on Australia that “Australia is currently short of 2,300 workers in cyber security, with an expected demand of at least 17,600 additional professionals in the sector by 2026.”

Indonesian polytechnics greatly welcomed the possibility of partnerships between higher education institutions in these two countries. The main Question raised during the discussion was about the type and modality of partnerships that could be built between Indonesian and Australian institutions. Other questions included the importance of cyber security skills, digital skills development, online learning programmes and scholarship opportunities for both students and lecturers.

The event was part of the ILO’s support to Indonesia’s digital skills development and was also part of the facilitation programme to connect relevant institutions that could support country’s goal to create skilled digital talents. The support was provided through the ILO’s Industry Skills for Inclusive Growth (INSIGHT) Phase 2, funded by the Government of Japan, and the Unemployment Protection (UNIQLO) Project, funded by the Fast Retailing, Co, Ltd.

“We hope that this webinar can serve as a kick-off to start further discussion on possible collaborations between two countries. We wish to see more Indonesian students enjoy high quality of digital education overseas through offline and online learning, whichever possible,” said Kazutoshi Chatani, ILO’s Employment Specialist.

Similarly, Elizabeth Campbell-Dorning, Education Counsellor of Australian Embassy in Jakarta, encouraged both Indonesian and Australian institutions to start exploring possible types of cooperation. “Through innovative digital cooperation, we can reshape the collaboration between our polytechnics that not only suits the needs of our students but also meets the needs of the industry and the economy,” she concluded.

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