Bontang, Kaltim (ANTARA) - The Pre-Employment Card (Kartu Prakerja) program has reached all parts of Indonesia, with 60 percent of the participants living in villages, the Kartu Prakerja managing body has informed.

"Pre-Employment Card has given scholarships for training to 15 million Indonesians in all districts/cities. Of the total participants, 60 percent live in villages," director of partnership, communication, and ecosystem development in the program’s managing body, Kurniasih Suditomo, informed at the “Kartu Prakerja Alumni Gathering” in Bontang, East Kalimantan, on Friday.

The Pre-Employment Card is a government program launched in 2020, which seeks to train beneficiaries and prepare them for different occupations and entrepreneurial skills. The lessons obtained through the program are expected to support their careers and enterprises.

The Kartu Prakerja offers incentives or fee assistance to participants to attend classes in various fields, such as IT, food and beverage (F&B), and animation, among others.

According to data, at least 43.57 million people passed the program’s verification stage, 14.91 million of them were classified as effective beneficiaries, and 14.08 million completed training.

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Based on an evaluation survey in 2020–2022, 60 percent of the program’s participants lived in villages and 3 percent lived in underdeveloped districts, while 49 percent were women and 3 percent were persons with disabilities.

"In East Kalimantan, the total beneficiaries were around 310 thousand, in which 13 thousand were from Bontang city," Suditomo said.

Based on data, at least 4 percent of the beneficiaries in East Kalimantan came from extremely poor districts and 52 percent of them lived in villages.

Meanwhile, Sudrajat Nugraha, a beneficiary from Bontang, expressed his appreciation for the program.

Nugraha, who joined the program's seventh batch, said that the training helped him become a graphic design and digital marketing freelancer.

"I apply the (lessons from) the Prakerja video courses in all aspects of work," he added.

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Translator: Prisca V, Kenzu T
Editor: Suharto
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