"The President said that besides establishing the Apple Development Academy, the company can also open an innovation center in collaboration with top universities in Indonesia," Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita informed while issuing a press statement at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday.
After meeting Apple CEO Tim Cook on Wednesday, the minister said that the President asked Apple to support human resource development in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, Cook expressed his desire to continue the expansion of Apple Academy, Kartasasmita added.
So far, Apple has invested Rp1.6 trillion (US$98 million) in building the Apple Development Academy, a digital talent training program for developing Apple applications. The program already exists at four locations, namely BSD Tangerang, Surabaya, Batam, and most recently in Bali.
According to Kartasasmita, the HR development facilities provided by Apple through the Apple Academy are the result of an agreement between the Indonesian government and Apple as part of fulfilling the domestic component level (TKDN) of up to 35 percent for mobile devices, handheld computers, and tablets (HKT).
He then said that Widodo considers developing human resource capacity through Apple an important investment besides the construction of factories in Indonesia.
Additionally, the Indonesian government and Apple have agreed that manufacturing development is needed to help Indonesia become a player in Apple's global supply chain.
As per data from the Industry Ministry, almost 50 million cell phones were produced in Indonesia in 2023. Meanwhile, the nation's cell phone imports reached 2.79 million units, with Apple products accounting for 85 percent, worth US$1.5 billion–US$2 billion in a year.
"We want Apple manufacturing in Indonesia to become a supply chain in Indonesia and globally. Becoming a global player is important for all production facilities in order to export," Kartasasmita added.
Translator: Mentari Dwi G, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
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