Economist: Job certainty for National Internship participants is very important

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Executive Director of the Center of Reform on Economics (CORE) Indonesia, Mohammad Faisal, believes that the sustainability and job certainty for National Internship participants are very important to examine further with industry stakeholders. “The grand design of the internship programme should be aligned with industry policies or business development policies in the relevant sectors, which is crucial,” Faisal said when contacted in Jakarta on Friday. Considering the programme’s relevance and workforce needs, he continued, it is hoped that participants not only gain experience before entering the job market but also have assured pathways to start their careers properly. “Therefore, dialogue and coordination with industry parties are needed so that this internship programme truly aligns with needs and future priorities,” he stated. In agreement with Faisal, economist from the Center of Economics and Law Studies (Celios), Nailul Huda, said companies are also expected to provide certainty for internship participants to work after completing at least six months of the programme. “We continue to push for clear career certainty for internship participants. That is the most important aspect of the National Internship programme,” Nailul remarked. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Manpower (Kemnaker) recorded that 11,949 people have completed Phase I of the National Internship. Kemnaker is still collecting data on the number of internship participants recruited by the companies where they undertook the programme. From the latest information, Kemnaker noted that some companies have recruited 20-30% of those internship participants.