Graduates in High Demand: Thousands of Scholarships Launched to Produce Job-Ready Workforce
Jakarta, VIVA – The demand for skilled labour across various industrial sectors remains a significant focus, particularly in commodity-based sectors such as oil palm plantations. Concurrently, there is a continuous push to align vocational and undergraduate education pathways more closely with labour market requirements.
In response to these conditions, the Indonesian Oil Palm Fund Management Agency (BPDP) is preparing the 2026 Oil Palm Human Resources Scholarship Programme. The programme is designed to support the development of human resources within the oil palm plantation sector through formal education at various partner universities.
Registration for the scholarship will open with a quota of 5,000 recipients, an increase from the 4,000 recipients provided in the previous year. The programme also involves 42 partner educational institutions spread across various regions of Indonesia.
The Oil Palm Human Resources Scholarship Programme has been operational since 2016 and, by 2025, has reached 13,265 students. With the addition of the quota this year, the programme becomes the largest since its inception.
This initiative is a collaborative effort between BPDP, the Ministry of Agriculture, and partner universities. As is well known, the palm oil industry also serves as a funding source for the development of education and the enhancement of human resource competence within the plantation sector.
Mohammad Alfansyah, Director of Downstream Sector Fund Disbursement at BPDP, stated that the increase in quota is part of a long-term strategy to strengthen human resource capacity. “This year, BPDP is increasing the quota for Oil Palm Human Resources Scholarship recipients to 5,000 people,” he said during the 2026 Oil Palm Human Resources Scholarship Media Briefing in Jakarta on Tuesday, 2 June 2026.
“This increase represents our commitment to providing broader opportunities for the Indonesian youth to obtain higher education and to prepare superior human resources who will drive the future of the palm oil industry,” he added.
He also noted that the programme is part of the palm oil sector’s contribution to educational development. The Director of CWE Polytechnic, Ir. St. Nugroho Kristono, M.T., stated that the link between education and industry is a crucial factor in curriculum design and the development of graduate competencies.
“This programme serves as an important instrument in preparing a younger generation that possesses academic competence, practical skills, and a strong understanding of the modern plantation industry,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the Director of Oil Palm and Miscellaneous Palms at the Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Iim Mucharam, S.P., M.P., assessed that strengthening human resources is a vital part of the strategy to face industrial challenges.