Skilled labors vital to industrial development

Mojokerto, East Java-wapresri.go.id. Vice President Jusuf Kalla underscored, mastering technology skills is vital to support the development of industry.

“You can seek for capital, you can buy technology, but you must educate [people to have] skills as (skills) are not something given,” said the Vice President when launching Industrial Vocational Program at PT. Dwi Prima Sentosa, Mojokerto, East Java, on Tuesday (28/02/2017).

According to the Vice President, to keep pace with the advances of technology, government has established a number of vocational schools.

However, he felt disappointed as what is taught in the schools is not always in line with the development of industry. For example, the Vice President mentioned, some schools still teach the analog system when the industry is already using the numerically computer controlled (CNC) system.

“That is why at times education is not on a par with the industry,” he said.

The Vice President then gave appreciation to all parties which have jointly participated in establishing the Industrial Vocational Program in a bid to ensure the supply of skilled human resources in line with the industrial needs.

According to the Vice President, such a program was actually already established some 20 years ago with a program called “link and match” initiated by then Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro.

Now, he further said, the program is revitalized so that education can answer the market needs.

The Vice President then reminded, this industrial vocational program is an investment, not a charity program.

“Only with technology and mastery of skills industry will develop,” he asserted.

Earlier in the same occasion, the East Java governor Soekarwo highlighted that the industrial vocational program should focus on how to adapt new technology in industry and public services.

Meanwhile, Minister of Industry Airlangga Hartanto said, this program is essentially the implementation of Presidential Decree No. 9 of 2016 on the revitalization of vocational schools (SMK) in order to improve the quality and competitiveness of human resources in Indonesia.

In addition, he said, the program is also as a follow-up of the memorandum of understanding signed in January 2017 by five ministers, namely Minister of Industry, Minister of Education and Culture, the Minister of Research, Technology, and Higher Education, Minister of Manpower, and Minister of State-owned Enterprises.

At the end of the event, as a commitment support vocational educations, industries involved in the program, including PT Petrokimia Gresik, PT Astra Honda Motor, PT Semen Gresik, PT Garudafood, PT Astra Daihatsu Motor, and PT Barata Indonesia, symbolically handed over industrial training equipment to some vocational schools.