Indonesia to expand vocational training with 19 new centers in 2027

indonesianupdates.com_admin

2 hours ago

Serang, Banten (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Manpower Ministry aims to establish up to 19 new vocational training centers in 2027 as part of efforts to strengthen workforce competency development.

“Next year, we will add 15 to 19 new vocational training centers. This means we will have 50 to 60 such facilities across Indonesia,” Manpower Minister Yassierli remarked at a vocational and productivity training center in Serang, Banten, on Tuesday.

While opening the fourth batch of the 2026 National Vocational Training program, he explained that increasing the number of such facilities is necessary to realize the vision of providing adequate competency training to one million residents.

Yassierli described the initiative as a crucial step toward making vocational education a key instrument for addressing the existing gap between the available workforce skills and job market needs.

In that regard, the minister cited World Economic Forum data showing that 54 percent of companies in Indonesia continue to struggle to find and hire workers with the skills they need.

To tackle the issue, he said, the Manpower Ministry is working to shift the country’s training model from a supply-driven approach to a demand-driven one through a tailored training scheme.

“Under this scheme, industries are actively involved in processes from curriculum formulation to graduate recruitment to produce work-ready talents,” Yassierli explained.

The minister added that his office is also striving to achieve the target of enrolling 330,000 citizens in the National Vocational Training program this year, a substantial increase from the initial target of 70,000 participants.

He said program participants are entitled to a Rp50,000 (around US$3) daily stipend and a range of free facilities, including competency certification from the National Professional Certification Agency (BNSP).

The program offers training in numerous competencies, including welding, green skills, smart operation, agroforestry, artificial intelligence, hospitality, and manufacturing.