East Java Chamber of Commerce urges industry to take on graduates through internships

Surabaya, East Java (ANTARA) – The East Java Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) is urging businesses to expand internship opportunities for university graduates to improve their work readiness and help address high graduate unemployment in the province.

“This is a challenge for all of us. The highest unemployment rate now is among bachelor’s degree graduates in East Java. The figure is quite high,” Kadin East Java chairman Adik Dwi Putranto said in Surabaya on Monday.

Adik said the business sector needed to help bridge the gap between graduates’ skills and industry requirements. Universities should produce not only degree-holders, but also workers with the skills and experience companies need.

Data from the East Java provincial government’s Organisation Bureau show that the open unemployment rate among university graduates reached 6.04 per cent in February 2026, up from 5.60 per cent in February 2025 and 4.07 per cent in February 2024.

He said internships should run for six months, with structured mentoring to help participants understand workplace processes, develop their skills and potentially secure jobs after completing the programme.

Kadin East Java hopes that industry involvement in the national internship programme will support workforce renewal, match companies’ needs with the skills of new graduates and create more employment opportunities in the province.

“We hope that after the internship, businesses can hire them,” he said.

During the programme, participants receive an allowance equivalent to the local regency or city minimum wage, funded through the state budget, as well as coverage from the BPJS Employment social security programme. Partner companies are required to provide mentoring so that the internship experience meets workplace needs.