Our hope and, of course, all of us, the Japanese government can immediately accept apprenticeship participants in the near future, because many participants are waiting for their departureSamarinda, East Kalimantan (ANTARA) - As many as 85,415 Indonesians have apprenticed in Japan since the program opened in 1993, the director general of vocational training and productivity at the Manpower Ministry, Budi Hartawan, has said.
"Overseas apprenticeships, especially to Japan, have been going on since 1993. Until now, 85,415 young people have been sent to Japan," Hartawan stated here on Monday.
He revealed that many of those who have pursued apprenticeships in Japan are now working in companies or have become entrepreneurs.
One such person is East Kalimantan's Syarif Taufik, who already owns a coal mining company named PT Dita Anugrah Perkasa, he said.
Hartawan said Taufik's story could have a positive influence on Indonesian youth, especially East Kalimantan youths, to work and achieve success.
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Since January 2021, the departure of apprenticeship participants to Japan has been temporarily halted due to immigration restrictions imposed by the Japanese government during the COVID-19 pandemic, he explained. Those who had participated in the selection and training process for the internships are still waiting to depart, he added.
He said his administration has made efforts—including the submission of a letter from Manpower Minister Ida Fauziah to the Japanese government—so that Japan reopens the acceptance of apprenticeship participants from Indonesia.
"Our hope and, of course, all of us, the Japanese government can immediately accept apprenticeship participants in the near future, because many participants are waiting for their departure," he remarked.
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To evaluate the implementation of the apprenticeships to Japan, he said his office will hold periodic meetings virtually with the Organization for Technical Intern Training (OTIT) Japan and other stakeholders, with one scheduled on Tuesday (October 12, 2021).
The Socialization of Overseas Apprenticeships event on Monday drew 55 participants, who included people from the provincial, district, and cities' Manpower Offices across East Kalimantan, as well as forums and associations related to the apprenticeship program, Hartawan informed.
"After participating in this socialization, participants can disseminate information to the community in their respective environments, so that wider opportunities will be opened, especially for the people of East Kalimantan to participate in the apprenticeship program," he added.
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Translator: M Ghofar, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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