This was confirmed by the minister after holding a meeting with the Minister of Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Mukhtarudin in Jakarta on Friday.
The SMK Go Global program was initiated by Iskandar together with the Ministry of Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection as a strategic step to bolster the role of SMK in preparing graduates who are ready to work and are globally competitive.
According to him, opportunities to work abroad are wide open, especially in sectors that require high technical skills, such as underwater welding.
The SMK Go Global program is not only designed to prepare students to seize job opportunities abroad but also to help them plan their careers early.
"As a medium-term solution, it helps SMK to make a plan for students who are interested in working abroad. The language learning aspect must, therefore, be a basic focus for them from the very first semester," he remarked.
Minister Iskandar highlighted that foreign language skills are key for students to be globally competitive, and therefore encouraged SMK to teach other foreign languages in addition to English, such as Japanese and Korean.
The program will also be carried out by collaborating with a number of vocational institutions, both run by the government and private parties.
"Vocational education must produce two: first, graduates who are ready to work and have foreign language skills, and second, graduates who have an entrepreneurial spirit," the minister concluded.
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Translator: Anita Permata, Raka Adji
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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