He noted that many foreign labor markets offer positions that Indonesians could fill, adding that Indonesian workers are widely recognized abroad for their politeness and strong work ethic.
“As the President has requested, we want to encourage skilled Indonesian workers to take up overseas job opportunities, which are vast. We know our nation’s character is very good—our people are polite and diligent—and this is already well known internationally,” Yuliarto said during a visit to the State University of Surabaya (UNESA) in Surabaya, East Java, on Thursday.
He said the government is now working to combine these positive traits with the skills and certifications required for Indonesians seeking employment abroad.
According to Yuliarto, his ministry is holding intensive discussions with the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency (BP2MI) and the Ministry of Manpower to ensure that Indonesian graduates are able to compete and be absorbed into the global job market.
One of the key challenges, he added, concerns language proficiency and standardized certification recognized by destination countries.
“Overseas, the challenges usually involve language or certification standards specific to each country. We are preparing for this and have begun discussions with several countries. Our hope is that these standards can be implemented in Indonesia, so our graduates won’t need to travel abroad just to obtain certification,” he said.
Yuliarto also expressed hope that higher education institutions will continue to strengthen collaboration with industry so that the skills taught to students align with the increasingly complex demands of today’s industrial sectors.
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Translator: Hana, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Arie Novarina
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