“Vocational universities are encouraged to work directly with surrounding industries to increase job opportunities for their graduates,” Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Brian Yuliarto said in a statement in Jakarta on Sunday.
Yuliarto said the role of polytechnics and vocational universities needs to become more strategic as centers for developing technical competencies aligned with industry needs.
Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno echoed the view, stressing that strengthening the vocational ecosystem is urgent to ensure graduates’ skills match workforce demands.
Pratikno said Indonesia is entering a unique window of opportunity, with the next five years crucial for realizing the demographic bonus. He underlined that narrowing the gap between vocational graduates’ skills and industry requirements must be a top priority.
National data indicates a wide mismatch between the number of graduates and the demand for skilled workers.
According to the global job opportunity mapping report from the Ministry for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (KP2MI), nearly 300,000 vacancies in priority sectors - such as healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing and industrial technicians - remain unfilled because applicants’ skills and certifications do not meet international standards.
The government considers the 2025–2030 period critical for maximizing Indonesia’s demographic dividend.
To support this goal, the Higher Education, Science and Technology Ministry recently held meetings with Australia that produced a potential pilot mobility program for final-year students.
The program would include foreign language training, exposure to international work culture and skills certification.
The pilot initiative is initially planned for three pathways which are Indonesian language teachers, caregivers and construction workers, to meet the needs of emerging labor markets.
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Translator: Sean Filo Muhamad, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Primayanti
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