"The certification is intended to produce graduates having sound knowledge and skills," Research, Technology, and Higher Education Minister Muhammad Nasir stated here on Friday.
The minister remarked that the government will focus on improving the quality of lecturers working in polytechnics and universities.
"The government urges polytechnics to create a qualified workforce through the issuance of a certification of competence," he said.
Vocational colleges should produce qualified human resources in an attempt to meet the industry demand.
The government will assist lecturers in obtaining certification through education and financing.
"In Papua, the government is concentrating on improving the quality of workforce engaged in the tourism and health sectors," he remarked.
The lecturers in polytechnics should clear a competency test in a bid to educate the students on the certification of competence.
"Only six percent of the vocational colleges are in Indonesia. In fact, the country has 4,529 universities that produce more academics," he pointed out.
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) had earlier called on the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) to help improve the quality of education offered by vocational schools across the country.
"We need millions of skilled human resources, so Kadin can help to improve the quality of education in vocational schools," President Jokowi said while opening the 2016 Kadin Leadership National Meeting at the Borobudur Hotel.
The president stated that Indonesia will benefit from a demographic bonus after 2020 when the number of people of the productive age will be higher than the number of elderly and children.
The younger generation should continue to build its capacity and capabilities in accordance with any formal and non-formal education they acquire. Only then will Indonesia be able to take advantage of the demographic bonus.
This demographic bonus will help the development of the creative economy in the country.
The greater the number of people of the productive age in Indonesia, the more internet users we will see. This will increase the nations creative ability and help to throw up new ideas to create value-added products of high quality.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
