Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita is striving to make\nIndonesia a global manufacturing hub by strengthening superior,\ncompetent, and work-ready industrial human resources. \u201cBy 2045, we want\nIndonesia to supply the world, we want Indonesia to become the centre of\nglobal manufacturing,\u201d Minister Agus said during the \u2018Graduation\nCeremony for SMK-SMAK and SMTI Students and Studium Generale\u2019 in Bogor,\nWest Java, on Thursday. The Minister further asserted that industrial\nvocational education is a strategic investment to prepare skilled\nworkers who will be the main drivers of national industrial\ntransformation.<\/p>\n
According to data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), in the first\nquarter of 2026, the processing industry grew by 5.04 percent,\ncontributing 19.07 percent to the national GDP, absorbing more than 20\nmillion workers, and contributing around 82 percent to national exports.\n\u201cThis means the industrial sector is not a weakening field, but one that\ncontinues to grow and requires new, competent workers. The hands of\nthese graduates will become an important part of Indonesia\u2019s industrial\nfuture,\u201d the Minister stated.<\/p>\n
The event, themed \u2018Together Creating Superior, Globally Competitive\nand Sustainable Industrial Human Resources\u2019, marked the graduation of\n2,369 students from nine vocational schools under the Ministry of\nIndustry in 2026. The nine schools are spread across various regions of\nIndonesia with diverse specialisations, ranging from industrial\nchemistry, machinery, and industrial automation to mechatronics,\ntailored to the characteristics and needs of the manufacturing sector in\neach area. The Minister conveyed that national industrial development\naligns with President Prabowo Subianto\u2019s vision to strengthen domestic\nindustrialisation and downstream processing. Therefore, the existence of\ncompetent industrial human resources is a key factor for the success of\nthis transformation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no downstream processing without laboratories, and no\nlaboratories without analysts. No factory runs without skilled\ntechnicians. The great ambition to make Indonesia a global manufacturing\nhub is not realised in meeting rooms, but at laboratory benches and on\nproduction floors. This is where the graduates of SMK-SMAK and SMTI will\nplay an important role,\u201d he stressed. The Minister also reminded the\ngraduates to uphold integrity and professionalism when entering the\nworkforce. \u201cCompetence must be accompanied by honesty and integrity. The\nwork of an analyst or technician will be trusted because it is carried\nout with full responsibility. Maintaining integrity means safeguarding\nthe quality of Indonesian products, protecting consumers, and\nsimultaneously strengthening the competitiveness of national industry in\nthe global market,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Head of the Industrial Human Resources Development Agency (BPSDMI) at\nthe Ministry of Industry, Doddy Rahadi, stated that the quality of\ngraduates from the Ministry\u2019s vocational schools has received\nrecognition from the industrial world. \u201cAs of July 2026, a total of\n1,483 people, or 63.70 percent of the 2,369 graduates, have been\nabsorbed into various industrial companies. This achievement shows that\nthe competence of Ministry of Industry vocational school graduates meets\nthe needs of the business and industrial world,\u201d Doddy said. According\nto him, BPSDMI will continue to assist graduates who are still in the\njob-seeking process. \u201cFor graduates still in the recruitment process,\nBPSDMI together with the vocational schools will provide assistance for\nthe next three months for job searching. Furthermore, if they are still\nnot absorbed within six months, a specific competency strengthening\nprogramme or internship facilitation will be provided to accelerate job\nplacement,\u201d Doddy explained. In addition to having a high job absorption\nrate, Doddy noted that the Ministry\u2019s vocational schools are also\nincreasingly in demand by the public. In the 2026 academic year, the\nratio of applicants to capacity reached 1:12.2, an increase from the\nprevious year\u2019s 1:10.7. Doddy stressed that this high level of public\ninterest motivates BPSDMI to continue maintaining the quality of\nindustrial vocational education.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/industry-minister-aims-to-make-indonesia-a-global-manufacturing-hub-through-workforce-development-1784203024", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }