"Link and match is one of many ways; besides that, of course, there are many others. We think this scheme is effective, because in developed countries, for example the United States, the program is also implemented," Tahar stated after opening a discussion forum here on Wednesday.
He noted that the link and match scheme in Indonesia was facilitated by the government, especially the ministry, but in the US, the business meeting program was held by the private sectors.
"In the US, for example, there are many private sectors holding link and match programs. Someone who has competence and skills is selected from graduates of junior college after one to two years of study. Here, we also have vocational schools, but there are some differences," Tahar remarked.
At the discussion, entitled "the Improvement of Competency of Vocational Graduates through Competence Certification in the Oil and Gas Sector in the Link and Match Framework in Jakarta" Tahar mentioned several issues that should be considered by experts and observers who were present at the discussion.
The issues include how vocational graduates and vocational schools face the economy, which is entering the era of industrial revolution 4.0, and how the graduates respond to the ASEAN economic community (AEC), which will open employment opportunities for workers from other countries in the Southeast Asia region.
"What do we expect from vocational graduates? Do we want them to create jobs or just enter jobs that have been created by industries?" Tahar stated.
According to him, there is a role that should be played by vocational graduates and the workforce generated from public higher education.
Thus, there is a need for a link and match scheme to connect each graduates and industries in order to meet the industrial needs related to qualified workforce.
A signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between vocational schools and industries was also held at the discussion.
Reporting by Genta Tenri Mawangi, Libertina
Editing by Yoseph
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
