Health graduates unable to find jobs

Health graduates unable to find jobs

JAKARTA (JP): Only about 20 percent of an average 5,000 health
school graduates per year were able to find jobs, while the rest
went jobless, Minister of Health and Social Welfare Achmad Sujudi
said on Thursday.

"The latest data from the Central Bureau of Statistic show
that the country is home to about 37 million unemployed people,
including the health workers," Sujudi told the media after
opening a seminar here on the strategic use of health worker
graduates.

The health workers included those who graduated from nursing,
nutrition, environmental and sanitary schools, as well as dental
care institutions, Achmad said.

"Actually, there are over 900,000 job offers for health
workers abroad, but Indonesia cannot meet the demand due to the
graduates' lack of skills and technological knowledge," he added.

In the previous two years, only about 300 Indonesian health
workers were qualified enough to work abroad and they were sent
to countries such as Brunei and Kuwait, he said.

"In an effort to cope with the problem, the ministry is
setting a cooperation team to channel these workers to various
companies here, such as those involved in food manufacturing and
hotel services, for nutrition and sanitary jobs, and the sea
transportation or exploration companies for environmental
graduates," he added.

Among the prospective companies are oil firm PT Caltex, food
producers PT Nutrifood Indonesia, PT Indofood Sukses Makmur, PT
Mead Johnson and PT Nestle.

"The ministry is no longer able to absorb all health school
graduates and, therefore, they have to be professional and work
in the private sector," Achmad added. (edt)