East Java's Vocational Schools Attract International Orders from 13 Countries
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – The Governor of East Java, Khofifah Indar Parawansa, stated that vocational school (SMK) graduates from East Java are now attracting increasing interest from international industries, ranging from Japan and South Korea to several countries in Europe.
The high demand for skilled workers in various countries presents significant opportunities for vocational education graduates from East Java to penetrate the global job market.
“This shows that vocational schools in East Java are not only producing graduates who are ready to work domestically but also serve as a supplier of vocational talent for the international job market,” said Khofifah in a statement received in Surabaya, Saturday (16/5/2026).
A total of 1,790 students and alumni from vocational schools in Tulungagung, Trenggalek, and Pacitan have participated in overseas internship programs and worker placement programs in 13 destination countries. Of this number, 1,067 are students in grades XII and XIII participating in internships, while the remaining 723 are alumni who have already found work abroad.
The destination countries include Japan, South Korea, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Australia, China, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, and Thailand.
Japan is the most popular destination with 1,216 participants, followed by South Korea with 460 participants. Meanwhile, Tulungagung Regency is the region with the highest number of participants, with 898 people.
Khofifah said that global job opportunities for vocational school graduates are available in various strategic sectors such as manufacturing, shipbuilding, technology, hospitality, healthcare, construction, logistics, and modern agriculture.
“They have the potential to work in the manufacturing, shipbuilding, technology, hospitality, healthcare, construction, and logistics sectors,” she said.
She cited Germany, which currently needs skilled workers in the field of underwater welding, while Japan offers significant opportunities in the agricultural and industrial sectors.
Therefore, Khofifah emphasized the importance of strengthening skills, discipline, and foreign language proficiency so that East Java’s vocational school graduates can compete at the international level.