Speaking in Jakarta on Monday (Oct. 6), Afriansyah said the program is a follow-up to President Prabowo Subianto’s directive to accelerate the integration of young workers into the labor market through a structured internship scheme across various skill-based industry sectors aligned with current job market demands.
“This is the first program for 2025, mandated by the President through the Ministry of Manpower. We’re targeting 20,000 internship participants — those who graduated within the past year and are currently unemployed. This includes diploma holders (D1, D2, D3) and bachelor’s degree (S1) graduates,” he explained.
Participants will be registered through a dedicated digital portal, set to be launched Monday evening, with applications open starting Tuesday (Oct. 7). The selection process will be transparent, user-friendly, and directly linked to the needs of partner companies.
“We’ll launch the app tonight so that registration can start tomorrow,” said Afriansyah, speaking after attending a ministerial coordination meeting on the implementation of the National Action Plan for Overdimension and Overload (ODOL) vehicle control, held at the Coordinating Ministry for Infrastructure and Regional Development.
The Ministry of Manpower will act as a facilitator, connecting skilled graduates with private companies offering internships relevant to their fields of study.
Each participant placed in a private company will receive a government-funded incentive equivalent to the local minimum wage for six months.
“The government will provide an incentive for six months — up to Rp3.3 million per month — based on the applicable municipal or regency minimum wage,” he said.
Afriansyah emphasized that the program is designed to place interns close to their home regions, minimizing the need for relocation or additional living costs.
He expressed hope that the initiative would serve as a vital bridge for Indonesia’s young generation to enhance their competencies, build industry networks, and accelerate their transition into full-time employment.
According to the Ministry of Manpower, 451 companies have already registered as internship providers, offering 1,300 positions and attracting over 6,000 prospective applicants.
Secretary-General of the Ministry, Cris Kuntadi, stated on Sunday (Oct. 5) that participating companies include both state-owned enterprises (BUMN) and private-sector firms.
In its first phase, the National Internship Program will run from October 15, 2025, to April 15, 2026, targeting 20,000 recent university graduates. The quota may increase depending on the level of interest among applicants.
The program is part of the government’s 2025 “8+4+5” Economic Package launched by the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs under President Prabowo’s directives. It is aimed at diploma (D1-D4) and bachelor’s (S1) degree holders who graduated within the past year.
Separately, Head of the Research and Development Agency at the Manpower Ministry, Anwar Sanusi, explained that the company registration and job posting period ran from October 1 to 7.
Candidate registration and job selection will take place from October 7 to 12, followed by company selection and participant announcement by the Ministry on October 13–14.
The internship program itself will be held from October 15, 2025, to April 15, 2026.
Anwar added that all registration and program management will be conducted through the SIAPKerja platform via maganghub.kemnaker.go.id.
Applicant data will be verified in coordination with the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. A helpdesk is also available on the platform to assist users.
Related news: RI Govt to launch national internship program Oct 15
Translator: Muhamad, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Primayanti
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