JAKARTA (Joint Press Release) – Indonesia has set a high level ambition to become a high-income country by its centenary in 2045. To do this it has initiated a comprehensive programme of human resources development through a demand-oriented revitalization of the national technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system to build competent, productive and competitive human resources.

To support the ambition, the International Labour Organization’s Skills for Prosperity Programme in Indonesia (SfP-Indonesia), funded by the United Kingdom government and supported by the British Embassy in Jakarta, is launching the key findings of the Sub-Sectoral Skills Priority Reports for three maritime sub-sectors of Shipbuilding, International Logistics and Seafaring today (31/5) in Jakarta. These sub-sectors are critical for realizing Indonesia’s ambition as a global maritime power situated at the intersection of Asia’s major sea trade routes.

The event was officially presided over by Luhut B. Pandjaitan, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment who is represented by M. Firman Hidayat, Acting Deputy for Coordination of Maritime Resources, Owen Jenkins, British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor-Leste and Michiko Miyamoto, ILO Country Director of Indonesia and Timor-Leste.

The ILO’s SfP-Indonesia programme supports skills development for an inclusive, sustainable and internationally competitive maritime and coastal economy, and has worked with polytechnics, industry and worker representatives in four Indonesian provinces to establish D4 Study Programmes and pathways to support more students in their progression to skilled employment.

The programme supported Batam State Polytechnic (Polibatam) in Riau Islands, State Maritime Polytechnic Indonesia (Polimarin) in Central Java, Surabaya State Shipbuilding Polytechnic (PPNS) in East Java and Manado State Polytechnic (Polimanado) in North Sulawesi in developing Industry Advisory Boards to support curriculum development, industrial attachments for teachers and student internships.

At the national level, the programme has collaborated with the Coordinating Ministries of Maritime Affairs and Investment and Human Development and Cultural Affairs (PMK) to increase the involvement of maritime industries and workers in the development of the national skills structure. Senior maritime representatives from the shipbuilding, seafaring, tourism and international logistics sectors have come together to identify the parts of the maritime industry that are constrained by a lack of appropriate skills to compete in the modern global maritime workplace. Today they share their findings, setting out the skills priorities in these sectors and proposing ways forward.

One of the key outcomes of the programme includes the piloting of Sectoral Skills Committees, industry-led bodies to help advise and collaborate with government on the skills requirements most urgently needed in their sector. Sector Skills Committees or Sector Skills Bodies are frequently found in the skills system of advanced and developing economies. They help government to plan and respond to skills needs in growing and strategically important parts of the economy, making sure that vocational education curriculums and teaching keep pace with the technology advances taking place in industry.

Based on the work undertaken through the Skills for Prosperity Programme, it is now planned that four Sectoral Skills Committee pilots will be established for Shipbuilding, Seafaring, Tourism and International Logistics sectors. These will now be implemented under the national skills revitalization strategy launched by President Joko Widodo in February 2023.

M. Firman Hidayat, Acting Deputy for Coordination of Maritime Resources of the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, highlighted that the pilot Sectoral Skills Committee are in line with the seven pillars of Indonesia’s Maritime Policy and the mapping on Indonesia’s maritime sector potential in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) as well as with the development of maritime industry. “In addition to the ILO’s SfP-Indonesia programme, I am pleased that we have collaborated with relevant ministries, industrial associations and organizations as well as the four polytechnics and trade union confederations to enhance TVET programmes, promote entrepreneurship and innovation and strengthen public-private partnership,” he said.

Michiko Miyamoto, ILO Country Director for Indonesia and Timor-Leste, underscored the crucial of industry’s engagement for preparing Indonesian youth to enter the labour market, addressing skills deficits and ensuring that graduates and workers have the skills needed by industry. “The establishment of sectoral skills committees in the maritime sector is needed to not only meet industry’s specific skills needed but also to increase the employability of Indonesian workforces in the maritime sector. The ILO is pleased that we can be part of the concrete efforts taken by Indonesia to improve the engagement of industrial sectors,” she said.

Owen Jenkins, British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor-Leste, said: “The support given by the British government for this important agenda is part of our longstanding partnership with Indonesia on education and skills development. Strengthening access to skills and training for young Indonesians, and in particular women and those from disadvantaged groups, is at the centre of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office development agenda.

Thus, the SfP-Indonesia programme has involved a wide range of stakeholders including training and skills institutions, and maritime industries both at national and international level. Through this programme, the British government has successfully expanded the link and match model between maritime vocational education and industries resulting in a more competitive sector, and enhanced cooperation between our two countries for a more productive, inclusive and sustainable Indonesian maritime workforce.

I am very proud that the UK government has been able to work closely alongside our Indonesian partners since 2020 on this critical skills agenda, and set a firm foundation for future work in this important area.”

For further information, please contact:

Muce Mochtar
Project Officer of ILO’s Skills for Prosperity Programme
Email: muce@ilo.org

Dede Sudono
Project Officer of ILO’s Skills for Prosperity Programme
Email: dede@ilo.org

Gita Lingga
ILO’s Communication Officer
Email: gita@ilo.org