"The five vocational campuses -- Medan State Polytechnic (North Sumatra), Bengkalis State Polytechnic (Riau), Banjarmasin State Polytechnic (South Kalimantan), eL Bajo Commodus Polytechnic (East Nusa Tenggara), and Ujung Pandang State Polytechnic (Southeast Sulawesi) -- have been appointed to lead the economic invigoration program in their respective regions," he informed here on Tuesday.
The vocational institutions have been asked to coordinate with vocational schools, institutions offering specialized courses, and other relevant institutions and conceive economic invigoration roadmaps with local businesses and industries, Saryadi informed.
The five vocational institutions are obliged to discharge the duties elucidated in the memorandums of understanding (MoUs) inked with relevant stakeholders, he added.
"The polytechnic institutions are required to conceive plans to invigorate the local economy and involve local educational institutions, including vocational schools and specialized course institutions, in their duty. Meetings and discussions between the entities must produce memorandums of understanding that all parties agree to observe," Saryadi said.
Meanwhile, the ministry's director general for vocational education, Wikan Sakarinto, said that the commitment to develop harmonized vocational studies that cater to the needs of the industry and the national and regional economies must be prioritized by involved parties.
"Vocational studies cannot develop on their own, as the mission to link and match with industry needs is challenging. We also need to abandon traditional and outdated values in our mission to catch up with industry needs that are constantly changing," the director general added.
The appointment of five educational institutions is designed to promote economic development in the remote and border regions, as well as regions designated as super-priority economic zones, Sakarinto informed.
He pointed out that regions designated as priority areas for the tourism industry, such as Lake Toba in North Sumatra and Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara, need to nurture locals to fill the workforce requirements of the industry.
The ongoing cooperation between vocational institutions and several major companies is also underlining the necessity of synergy between the two sectors, which regional authorities must support to address any potential labor issues that may arise, the director general added.
Related news: Education Ministry trains MSMEs, vocational units on e-commerce
Related news: Jokowi's grand vision should be realized through vocational education
Related news: Ministries collaborate to push innovation in villages
Translator: Indriani, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
