Kick Off SMK Go Global: Vocational Graduates Ready to Compete on the Global Stage
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The Ministry for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (KP2MI) officially held the Kick Off of SMK Go Global on Wednesday (26/8/2026). This step was taken as part of the government’s efforts to prepare competent, certified vocational high school (SMK) graduates who are able to compete in the international labour market.
Minister for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI) Mukhtarudin said that to connect vocational education with the needs of the overseas labour market, the government is introducing the SMK Go Global programme. A diploma alone, he noted, is not enough for SMK graduates to enter the world of work.
“We are preparing Indonesians, our fellow Indonesian workers, who are ready to be placed after completing their training. After finishing the training, they will have technical competency certification and language certification, so they are ready to be placed abroad because the students already understand that the output of this training is for overseas employment,” he said at the Industrial Training Centre (BDI) in East Jakarta on Wednesday (26/8/2026).
SMK Go Global is not merely a training programme; it is the government’s effort to prepare Indonesia’s young generation to have globally recognised competencies and certifications. In this way, they are able to compete and obtain decent work in the international labour market.
The SMK Go Global programme is not limited to SMK graduates; graduates of senior high schools and general education (including bachelor’s and master’s degree holders) can also participate in the training. The programme is an upskilling initiative for prospective migrant workers with the aim of making participants ready for placement to work abroad.
The government wants to ensure that job opportunities abroad can be accessed by prospective migrant workers through procedural channels. In other words, no prospective migrant worker should go abroad without adequate competence and without protection.
“We want them to depart officially, have the required skills, understand their rights and obligations, and receive protection at all stages of migration, from preparation, while working abroad, until returning to Indonesia,” he explained.
The SMK Go Global programme is part of the President’s directive to prepare 500,000 workers, consisting of 300,000 prospective Indonesian migrant workers (CPMI) who are SMK graduates and 200,000 general CPMI. They are projected to fill various job sectors that have labour demand in the international market, including caregiver, welder, hospitality, nurse, truck driver, manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, construction, and maritime sectors.
Meanwhile, he continued, the projected destination countries include Japan, South Korea, Germany, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, the European region, Turkey, Taiwan, and several other countries. Placement will be carried out in stages, taking into account labour market needs and global geopolitical conditions. Mukhtarudin said the government is not only pursuing placement numbers but also ensuring the quality of the workers placed.
“Our target is not just how many can be placed. What is far more important is how many migrant workers truly have competence, are certified, obtain decent work, and are protected. Therefore, quality is the key word in SMK Go Global,” he said.
Training Based on Job Opportunity Needs
In its implementation, the SMK Go Global programme is designed comprehensively based on mapping of sectors, positions, destination countries, qualifications, and real competency needs in the overseas labour market, so that prospective migrant workers can be equipped through an integrated training ecosystem that includes strengthening technical competence, certification, and language training according to the standards of each destination country.
The training ecosystem also includes technical and language competence. For a number of positions, participants receive technical training and competency certification, as well as language training according to the destination country.
Some of the training programmes prepared include caregiver for Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, and Taiwan; for hospitality, positions such as spa therapist, housekeeping, cleaner, cook, waiter, and barista. Meanwhile, welder and manufacturing are for South Korea, Qatar, Taiwan, Malaysia, and other countries, and driver for Japan and Saudi Arabia.
“The global labour market has increasingly high standards. Therefore, curriculum and training must follow industry needs. We must not prepare workers based on assumptions alone, but must be based on labour market demand data,” he said.
Strengthening Government and Industry Collaboration
Mukhtarudin added that the success of SMK Go Global requires collaboration across ministries and agencies, regional governments, the education sector, vocational institutions, industry, certification bodies, and international partners.
The programme is also directed at strengthening the vocational ecosystem so that SMK graduates have competencies that meet global work standards. He also asked that the SMK Go Global programme not stop at the training process.
“The measure must be clear. After being trained and certified, there must be access to jobs. Therefore, we continue to map the labour market, build cooperation with destination countries and employers, and ensure the placement process is carried out in accordance with regulations,” he said.
Preparing Indonesian Talent for the World
The SMK Go Global programme is targeted to become one of the important instruments in preparing Indonesian human resources that are able to take advantage of opportunities from global labour demand.
For 2026, the placement target has been adjusted to 40,000 CPMI, while the target for 2027 is 140,000 CPMI, for 2028 is 180,000 CPMI, and for 2029 is 140,000 CPMI.
“Indonesia has potential young people. Our task is to pave the way for them to work at the global level with strong competence,” he concluded.