"We hope that graduates from these three training centers will be able to meet needs, not only within the country but also to meet workforce needs in Austria,"
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Manpower Ministry strives to strengthen cooperation with the Austrian government in the employment sector, especially for vocational training centers and Indonesian migrant workers (PMIs) placement.

"I am sure with support from Ambassador Damos Dumoli Agusman, diplomacy between the two countries in the employment sector can increase, especially for cooperation in vocational training centers (BLK) that has been funded by the Austrian Government through a soft loan scheme," Deputy Minister of Manpower Afriansyah Noor noted in a statement on Thursday.

During a meeting with Indonesian Ambassador to the Republic of Austria, Damos Dumoli Agusman, in Vienna, Austria, on Wednesday (November 29), Noor remarked that the development of vocational training cooperation with the Austrian Government had been ongoing for more than two decades.

The cooperation began with the development of the Serang Vocational and Productivity Training Center (BBPVP) from 1997 to 2003 that was supported by the Austrian company, Voest MCE GmbH, Noor explained.

This was followed by cooperation in the development of BBPVP Medan and BBPVP Serang that were completed in 2023 and the development of BBPVP Makassar that is planned for completion in 2024.

"With this collaboration, the training and technology programs developed at BBPVP Serang, Medan, and Makassar refer to European technology systems and standards," he remarked.

He said that graduates from the programs at BBPVP Serang and Medan received positive assessments from their companies.

"We hope that graduates from these three training centers will be able to meet needs, not only within the country but also to meet workforce needs in Austria," he remarked.

On that occasion, the deputy minister urged the Austrian government to accept migrant workers from Indonesia through apprenticeship and workforce placement programs and also to provide information on workforce needs and requirements and procedures for foreign citizens to work in Austria.

"Furthermore, we ask for support from Ambassador Agusman to convey this matter to the Austrian government to immediately form a joint working group to discuss the possibility of sending migrant workers from Indonesia to Austria," he remarked.

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Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Arie Novarina
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