"Our workers are essentially tough and of good quality. However, the lack of foreign language proficiency among many of them often becomes a significant stumbling block," he remarked in East Jakarta on Tuesday.
Bearing that in mind, he instructed Head of the Jakarta Manpower, Transmigration, and Energy Office, Syaripudin, to prepare and deploy vehicles that will provide mobile training services. These units will include courses of languages believed to be in high demand abroad.
The governor also underlined that language barriers are not the only hurdle, pointing to the widespread mismatch between workers’ skills and the competencies required by employers.
For example, a blue-collar laborer tends to find it difficult to secure new employment if the job market demand is inclined toward the skills possessed by white-collar workers, he explained.
On that note, Pramono highlighted the importance of expanding mobile training units across the capital city to ensure equal access to opportunities that can help workers improve their skills and competitiveness.
In addition, he ordered his aides to facilitate job festivals to curb unemployment, noting that the Jakarta provincial government has set a target of holding at least 21 such events this year.
"Unemployment issues have become my priority. Hence, if necessary, we will raise the target beyond 21," the governor stressed.
So far, out of the 21 events planned, the Jakarta government has organized 13 job festivals this year, including the one currently taking place at the Jakarta International Velodrome in East Jakarta on August 19–20.
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Translator: Livia M, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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