The internship program is a measure to align the digital skills taught by education institutions with the needs of the industry, Nurhadi Ibath said in a statement received here on Wednesday.
The teaching of technological skills must be inclusive and they can be learned by all students, he remarked.
"At the moment, Indonesia requires 600 thousand new digital talents per year," Irbath said, adding that the program will support Indonesia's goal of reaching that target.
According to the World Economic Forum, technological skills have become important for the workforce amid the rapid digital development, he noted.
In addition, research from AlphaBeta has indicated that the domestic industry requires 110 million digital workers by 2025 and capability in the IT sector is highly sought after, including among non-technological companies, he added.
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According to the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, Indonesia requires at least 9 million digital talents by 2030 to reap optimal benefits from the digital ecosystem; however, the number of talents that currently exist is only 1.1 million, Ibath said.
A LinkedIn research has shown that companies within the IT sector require six skills: blockchain, cloud computing, data analysis, UX/UI design, artificial intelligence development, and scientific computing, he added.
Therefore, the Kampus Merdeka program will provide internship opportunities to 1,100 students from 172 universities in Indonesia during which they will be mentored in acquiring digital skills through real case studies, Ibath said.
The Skivul Virtual Internship implementation program began in August 2021 and offers a selection of challenges and industry partners catered to participants' interests, personal learning sessions, and webinars, as well as challenging projects, he added.
At the conclusion of the program, all students will present their digital solutions and innovations in front of industry partners on Demo Day, he informed.
Afterwards, all participants who have completed the program will receive an opportunity to obtain an industry certificate and convert the program into a 20-semester credit, he added.
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Translator: Livia Kristianti, Fadhli Ruhma
Editor: Suharto
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