Director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning David Atchoarena made the statement while opening a public webinar titled "Bringing 16.4 Million People Closer to Full and Productive Employment and Decent Work Using Digital Technology."
The event was hosted to support the 61st session of the United Nations Commission for Social Development (UN CSocD-61) that was hosted in New York, the United States, on Friday (February 10).
"This also builds a bridge between formal and informal education. Technology is a 'game changer', especially in providing a place for digital platforms for workforce skills development (upskilling and reskilling)," he said.
Atchoarena believes that utilizing digital development in the implementation of Pre-Employment Card program by providing online and offline training for millions of people is a good and innovative practice, especially related to adult learning and education.
He remarked that the experience of Pre-Employment Card should be emulated by other countries.
“What Pre-Employment program is doing is in line with the mission of the organization I lead, which is to provide lifelong learning opportunities,” he emphasized.
The goal of lifelong learning, among others, is aiming to reduce gender inequality and economic inequality, he stated.
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Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, who concurrently Chairperson of the policy steering body for the Pre-Employment Card Program, gave his welcome remarks at the webinar.
He explained that the program is a humanitarian mission at its best, with empowerment tools involving education, employment, and entrepreneurship.
"As a result, from 2020 to 2022, more than 16.4 million people from all regions and cities in Indonesia have joined this program,” Hartarto remarked.
Some 51 percent of those joining the program are women and three percent are people with disabilities. Out of those who were unemployed, one-third are now working, either as small business owners or as employees, he stated.
The minister affirmed that this program is more than just policy, funding, or technology while emphasizing that it calls for radical changes in institutions and culture as well as in governments, companies, and individuals.
"This program is not only effective in delivering good results but also does so cost-efficiently," he stressed.
At the same forum, Executive Director of the Pre-Employment Card Program Management Denni Purbasari stated that the program offered scholarships to everyone, indiscriminately, thereby allowing people to partake in available online courses that are relevant to the job market.
“As many as 12 percent of the recipients are over 50 years old, while 19 percent are junior high school graduates,” she pointed out.
Related news: Pre-Employment Card training centers ready: Minister
Chairperson of the Policy Working Group at the National Team for Poverty Reduction (TNP2K) Elan Satriawan stated that according to the research they conducted in collaboration with the World Bank, 96 percent of the Pre-Employment Card beneficiaries said they were satisfied with the training received and also the immediate disbursement of incentives.
“Pre-Employment Card is the first government program in Indonesia that adopts digital end-to-end implementation and Government-to-Person (G2P) payments that focused on the beneficiaries,” Satriawan remarked.
UN Women Asia Pacific Office Statistics Specialist Cecilia Tinonin revealed that the pandemic had a major impact on women micro business owners. Not many women can switch to digital in running their business.
"By 2022, there will be 2.8 billion people in the world without access to the internet, and women, especially in older age groups, are at a disadvantage," Cecilia remarked.
ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute Singapore economist and researcher Maria Monica Wihardja underscored the need for more inclusive education policies, certified training, and lifelong learning through upskilling and retraining in implementing digital transformation.
Related news: Pre-Employment Card Program resumed in 2023 with normal scheme
Translator: Zubi M, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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