Deputy Minister of Manpower Afriansyah Noor said that the ministry fully supports the presence and continuity of apprenticeship program cooperation between Indonesia and Japan.
He added that in addition to providing support, the ministry expects efforts to be made to improve the quality of apprenticeships by adhering to universally applicable apprenticeship principles.
"Apprenticeships in Japan must uphold the principles and basic rights in the workplace for apprenticeship participants and improve their welfare," he said in a statement from his ministry on Tuesday.
Noor noted that apprenticeship programs to Japan have been ongoing since 1993 and are a concrete step by the ministry to develop the competence of the Indonesian workforce to compete at the global level.
According to Japan's Ministry of Justice, there were 149,101 Indonesians in Japan in December 2023. Most of them were apprenticeship participants, with their number reaching 74,387, reflecting a growth of 60 percent compared to 45,919 in 2022.
There has been an increase in the number of sending organizations (SOs) from Indonesia. As of July, the number of active SOs reached 464, up more than 30 percent compared to 347 in 2023.
"However, it's not time for Indonesia to be complacent. We also need to consider the achievements of other countries, especially Vietnam, which sends the highest number of apprenticeship participants to Japan," he said.
Noor said that to improve the competence of the workforce through apprenticeships in Japan, his ministry needs to collaborate with several parties, including the Japanese government, work partners, and job training agencies.
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Translator: Prisca Triferna, Raka Adji
Editor: Anton Santoso
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