"Vocational education refers to the mastery of certain applied skills with a greater ratio of practical activities than theoretical learning, resulting in a ready-to-work graduate," Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita informed on Tuesday.
His ministry is currently operating 11 polytechnics, two community academies, nine vocational schools, and seven industrial training centers (BDIs) spread across 11 provinces.
According to Kartasasmita, more than 90 percent of graduates from the ministry's vocational education and training units have been absorbed by the industry, while the rest are pursuing entrepreneurship or higher education.
Meanwhile, on Monday, P2MI Minister Abdul Kadir Karding paid a visit to the ATI Padang Polytechnic and BDI Padang to see the facilities and infrastructure at the two work units operating under the Industry Ministry.
"We also want to build an integrated vocational ecosystem, including competency curriculum, language training, and certification to produce professional Indonesian migrant workers," he informed.
"Graduates from these education and training units also have the opportunity to work abroad. As of May 2025, there are more than 1.7 million job orders available across various sectors," he said.
Karding added that in 2023–2025, the number of migrant workers (PMI) using placement services in Padang was recorded at 429. They accounted for 23 percent of the total PMIs in West Sumatra.
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Overall, the province posted 1,844 workers for PMI placements in five main destination countries— Japan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and South Korea. They were mostly engaged in physical work and semi-skilled sectors.
In the same statement, head of the Industry Ministry's Industrial Human Resources Development Agency (BPSDMI), Masrokhan, explained that the ATI Padang Polytechnic specializes in agro-industry and palm oil.
The polytechnic is currently conducting a feasibility study with the Caribbean government for the establishment and development of a business incubator for the coconut industry in Saint Lucia and Guyana.
"We will also produce technical studies of the coconut processing industry business while supporting local government policies in increasing the productivity of the coconut product processing industry," he added.
Meanwhile, BDI Padang specializes in training for food, upstream agro, pharmacy, and textiles. It has trained 14,112 participants over the past five years.
Masrokhan said that the BPSDMI is looking forward to collaborating with the P2MI Ministry to ensure the availability of superior and skilled industrial human resources who are ready to compete in the era of Industry 4.0 and the global market.
His party is ready for collaboration in pre-placement training, competency certification, and re-skilling and up-skilling programs for migrant workers returning to Indonesia.
Related news: West Kalimantan seeks to improve quality of migrant workers
Translator: Ahmad Muzdaffar, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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