Indonesia’s Battery Industry Needs Skilled Workers to Secure Its Future
RRI.co.id, Jakarta — Imaduddin Abdullah, director of international collaboration at INDEF, says Chinese investment is strengthening Indonesia’s position in the electric-vehicle battery supply chain. He said the establishment of battery industrial zones would accelerate the Government’s efforts to develop domestic downstream mineral industries.
“This investment is strategic in strengthening Indonesia’s position in the global electric-vehicle battery supply chain,” Imaduddin told PRO3 RRI.
He said global demand for nickel is projected to rise by 21.39 per cent over the next five years. In his view, this increase should be used to strengthen the structure of the national industry.
However, he cautioned that becoming a production hub would not automatically make Indonesia a leading and independent player in the global battery industry. Several other countries, he said, are also developing more comprehensive battery industries.
“The most important things are to strengthen industrial linkages, increase the use of domestic components, and develop Indonesia’s national technological capabilities and human resources,” he said.
Imaduddin said the Government should link investment incentives to technology transfer and improvements in the quality of Indonesia’s workforce. Investment should not be judged solely by its quantity, he warned, but also by its quality and contribution to building sustainable national economic capabilities.
He said partnerships between companies, vocational schools and universities were needed so that local workers could master battery technology independently. Workforce development should begin promptly, he said, to help Indonesia catch up with other countries.
“We must not become merely recipients of technology; Indonesian experts must also be properly prepared in practice,” Imaduddin said.
He added that the benefits of investment should be measured through government revenue, quality jobs and the involvement of local businesses, rather than export value. Natural resources would not last for ever, he said, but the quality of people, industry and technological capabilities could endure in the long term.