"In order to improve productivity and competitiveness of our petrochemical industry , we need to improve the quality of our human resources in that sector to follow the era of Industry 4.0," secretary general of the Industry Ministry Haris Munandar in a statement in Gresik, Eat Java, on Monday.
Haris said strategic program to supply competent workers is a cooperation between PT Petrokimia Gresik and the Center for Industrial and Polytechnic Education and Training of ATI Makassar.
"We hope such program could be expanded and promoted. It could be an example for other sectors to meet ski8lled workers," he said.
He said the ministry put the program in its list of priorities in line with the government program of development of human resource for manufacturing industry toward the implementation of Making Indonesia 4.0.
"Currently we have nine senior vocational schools, 10 polytechnic schools and 2 community academies and all their graduates have been employed in industry," he said.
The Industry Ministry also will build polytechnics school and community academy in industrial estates in centers of industrial growth .
"Starting next year we will facilitate development of petrochemical industrial polytechnics school in Banten to turn out trained workers for petrochemical industry. Every year 500 new workers are needed of diploma 3 (D3)," he said.
In addition the Industry Ministry will launch a vocational education program which is linked and matching with industry. Under the program the government has teamed up with 609 industries and 1,753 vocational schools.
The program would be launched in various areas in Indonesia, to help achieve the target in turning out a million trained workers with certificate in 2019. On that occasion the secretary general of the ministry expressed appreciation for the invo9lvement of PT Petrokimia Gresik in the vocational program initiated by the Ministry .
"We also continue to hold training with the 3 in 1 system - training, certification of competence and employment for all sectors of industry. In 2019, we will provide 3 in 1 training for 72,000 young men. The Ministry also holds competence certification program for industrial workers that they could be competitive in the market in the country and abroad," he said.
He said in line with the roadmap of Making Indonesia 4.0, the government gives priority for development of chemical industry to be ready as a pioneer in entering the era of Industry 4.0.
"Therefore development of petrochemical industry , which capital and technology intensive and needed much energy needs special attention from the government. The purpose is to have more contribution to the economy and to be more competitive in the global market," he said.
The Industry Ministry noted that petrochemical industry as part of chemical industry having big contribution to the country`s economy ,such as reflected as foreign exchange earner through exports of US$1.12 billion in value , up to the third quarter of 2018 or up 4.46 percent from 2017.
"This sector has employed 554,500workers. Petrochemical industry has strategic role in the process of industrialization as this industry is an upstream indust5ry which provides industrial basic materials for many downstream industries, therefore, the sustainability of petrochemical industry is vital for the economy," Haris said.
Reporting by Sella Panduarsa Gareta, Albert Saragih
Editing by Fardah Assegaf
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Suharto
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