“President Prabowo has directed the Migrant Workers Minister to prepare a centralized vocational education system to train skilled workers for overseas placement,” head of the Presidential Communication Office (PCO), Hasan Nasbi, said at the PCO Office in Jakarta on Thursday.
Prabowo issued the directive during a Plenary Cabinet Meeting held at the Presidential Office within the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Hasan said that the directive was issued in response to demand for labor in over 40 job sectors in several countries that are increasingly seeking professional Indonesian workers.
The government, he added, is no longer prioritizing sending domestic workers abroad. Instead, it is aiming to enhance the quality and capabilities of prospective migrant workers through an integrated education system.
“We are no longer talking about sending domestic workers abroad. The focus now is on reducing such placements and increasing the number of skilled workers,” Hasan expounded.
He said that the centralized vocational education system is expected to serve as the foundation for preparing human resources capable of competing in the global labor market.
“The President is asking for an integrated, well-structured education system that can produce skilled workers to meet international labor market demands,” Hasan added.
Earlier, Minister Karding expressed his commitment to improving the skills of prospective Indonesian migrant workers (PMIs) to meet the high standards of international labor markets, especially in European countries.
“We must emulate the Philippines. Their workers go to Hong Kong and Taiwan, but their ultimate target is Europe. We too must prepare a training system that enables our workers to skill up,” he said during the 8th Indonesian Diaspora Congress in Nusantara (IKN) on August 1, 2025.
Karding added that his ministry is collaborating with several institutions, including Universitas Terbuka, to ensure that PMIs can continue their education while working abroad.
“I am currently engaging with universities that offer online learning so our migrant workers can study while working and progress to higher qualifications,” he informed.
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Translator: Fathur, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Primayanti
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